Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 20,897 Shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has reduced its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 84.4%, selling 20,897 shares and now holding only 3,876 shares valued at approximately $983,000.
• Ecolab reported a quarterly EPS of $1.89, slightly missing the consensus estimate of $1.90, while its revenue matched expectations at $4.03 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, representing a 1.0% yield, with a dividend payout ratio of 34.71%.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 84.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,876 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 20,897 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $983,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 176.7% in the 1st quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 70.6% during the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $264.06 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day moving average is $266.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $256.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.06. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $221.62 and a 1 year high of $274.17.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th were paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 17th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is 34.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Baird R W raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the company from $273.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Ecolab from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $290.71.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan bought 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $251.75 per share, with a total value of $125,875.00. Following the purchase, the director 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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