Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Stock Position Lessened by Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA

Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA trimmed its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 1.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 323,824 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 5,105 shares during the period. Ecolab makes up about 5.2% of Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA's holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA owned approximately 0.11% of Ecolab worth $82,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Belpointe Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 2,980 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $755,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC now owns 902 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,774 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $703,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 4,145 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $971,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. grew its stake in Ecolab by 20.2% during the 1st quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 298 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan acquired 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 19,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,900,313.75. This represents a 2.64% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of ECL traded down $2.41 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $265.80. 30,798 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,175,941. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $220.96 and a 1-year high of $274.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.39 billion, a PE ratio of 36.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.03. The business has a fifty day moving average of $263.04 and a 200-day moving average of $252.72.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is 35.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Barclays reduced their target price on Ecolab from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Ecolab from $277.00 to $273.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Ecolab from $307.00 to $303.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic downgraded Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $287.00.

Ecolab Profile

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.

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