Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Sold by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH reduced its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 9.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 303,007 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 30,801 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.11% of Ecolab worth $76,818,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at approximately $3,890,000. PFG Advisors acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the first quarter worth $230,000. Gries Financial LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 9.4% in the first quarter. Gries Financial LLC now owns 1,016 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 4.4% in the first quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 17,235 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $4,369,000 after purchasing an additional 720 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.0% during the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 106,519 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $27,005,000 after acquiring an additional 1,061 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $271.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Ecolab from $307.00 to $303.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $277.00 to $273.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $288.33.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.2%

Ecolab stock traded up $0.58 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $268.69. 191,027 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,182,863. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $264.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $254.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.03. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $220.96 and a 52-week high of $274.17.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.50. The business had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.71 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.41% and a return on equity of 22.53%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.34 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 17th were issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 17th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is 35.33%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 500 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $251.75 per share, with a total value of $125,875.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 19,465 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,900,313.75. The trade was a 2.64% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

About Ecolab

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Global Industrial; Global Institutional & Specialty; and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences. The Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, metals and mining, power generation, pulp and paper, commercial laundry, petroleum, refining, and petrochemical industries.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.