Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Has $802,000 Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 265.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,424 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,488 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $802,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 134.8% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Graney & King LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE ECL traded down $2.78 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $262.70. The company had a trading volume of 784,093 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,167,809. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.26. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $220.96 and a twelve month high of $273.69. The stock's 50 day moving average is $247.42 and its 200-day moving average is $248.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.51 billion, a PE ratio of 35.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.05.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.50. The company had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.71 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.42% and a return on equity of 22.50%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.34 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 35.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $305.00 to $275.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Ecolab from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $263.00 to $280.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Ecolab from $277.00 to $273.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $257.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $307.00 to $303.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Five equities research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $283.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan acquired 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $251.75 per share, for a total transaction of $125,875.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 19,465 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,900,313.75. This trade represents a 2.64% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

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.