Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Stake Boosted by Nemes Rush Group LLC

Key Points

• Nemes Rush Group LLC increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 6.6%, bringing its total holdings to 42,899 shares worth approximately $10.87 million.
• Ecolab's quarterly earnings report showed an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.50, meeting analysts' expectations, despite a 1.5% decrease in revenue compared to the previous year.
• The company declared a $0.65 quarterly dividend with a payout ratio of 35.33%, which translates to an annualized dividend of $2.60.

Nemes Rush Group LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 6.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 42,899 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 2,651 shares during the period. Ecolab comprises about 1.4% of Nemes Rush Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Nemes Rush Group LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $10,876,000 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 ECL. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 164.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 1.7% in 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 purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $830,000. NEOS Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 28.5% in the 4th quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 11,183 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,620,000 after purchasing an additional 2,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $521,399,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $251.75 per share, with a total value of $125,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 19,465 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,900,313.75. This represents a 2.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Down 3.8%

NYSE:ECL traded down $10.25 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $259.74. The stock had a trading volume of 2,264,825 shares, compared to its average volume of 997,161. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $266.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $256.02. The company has a market cap of $73.67 billion, a PE ratio of 35.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.03.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.01). Ecolab had a net margin of 13.41% and a return on equity of 22.53%. The firm had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current 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 given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 17th. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 35.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on ECL shares. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $271.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 target price on shares of Ecolab and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $277.00 to $273.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $288.33.

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.