Quantinno Capital Management LP Raises Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Quantinno Capital Management increased its Ecolab stake by 30.3% in the first quarter, adding 83,774 shares to own 360,273 shares valued at approximately $95.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with Ecolab receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $324.06, above its reported trading price of $271.19.
• Ecolab reported quarterly revenue of $4.07 billion, up 10% year over year, while earnings of $1.70 per share matched estimates. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, representing a 1.1% yield.

Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 30.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 360,273 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 83,774 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP owned approximately 0.13% of Ecolab worth $95,840,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup upped their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $324.06.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:ECL opened at $271.19 on Tuesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $267.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.70, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.51%.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.

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