Howland Capital Management LLC Buys 1,915 Shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Key Points

• Howland Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 1.1%, now owning 169,534 shares worth approximately $43 million, making Ecolab its 14th largest position.
• Ecolab reported a quarterly earnings miss with earnings per share of $1.89, just below the consensus estimate of $1.90, while revenue was in line at $4.03 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, yielding 1.0%, with a payout ratio of 34.71% based on its most recent filings.

Howland Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 1.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 169,534 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 1,915 shares during the period. Ecolab accounts for approximately 1.9% of Howland Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Howland Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Ecolab worth $43,088,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 164.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $867,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE boosted its stake in Ecolab by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 8,752 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,051,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Summit Financial LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 48.0% during the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 2,781 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $654,000 after acquiring an additional 902 shares during the last quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC bought a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at $1,279,000. Finally, Bryce Point Capital LLC bought a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at $501,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:ECL traded up $1.71 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $265.99. 539,461 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,322,486. The business's 50-day moving average price is $266.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $256.92. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $274.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.01). Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%. The firm had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 17th were issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 17th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $273.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $290.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $251.75 per share, with a total value of $125,875.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 19,465 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,900,313.75. This trade represents a 2.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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.