3,655 Shares in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Purchased by Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board

Key Points

• The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board made a $927,000 investment in Ecolab Inc., purchasing 3,655 shares during the first quarter.
• Multiple institutional investors have increased their holdings in Ecolab, which is now owned 74.91% by institutional investors.
• Ecolab announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, payable on October 15th, representing an annual yield of approximately 1.0%.

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board bought a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 3,655 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $927,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 176.7% during 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 during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its position 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 valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Seaport Res Ptn raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Baird R W raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $290.71.

Ecolab Trading Up 1.1%

Ecolab stock traded up $3.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $272.83. 833,178 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,136,417. 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's 50 day moving average price is $267.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $257.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.06. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $274.17.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released 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). The business had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%. On average, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.71%.

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.