Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Sold by MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. decreased its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 20.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 35,997 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 9,412 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $8,435,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 134.8% during 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 acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.6%

ECL stock traded down $1.59 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $260.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,200,034 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,165,185. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $220.96 and a 52-week high of $273.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.34, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $246.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $247.82.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on ECL. Mizuho dropped their target price on Ecolab from $302.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Redburn Atlantic cut Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, March 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $257.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $270.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $283.13.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $251.75 per share, for a total transaction of $125,875.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 19,465 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,900,313.75. The trade was a 2.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Larry L. Berger sold 10,858 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.95, for a total transaction of $2,898,543.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,744 shares in the company, valued at $4,202,860.80. This represents a 40.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Company 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.