Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Has $57.45 Million Stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Key Points

• Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB has decreased its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 4.7%, now holding approximately 226,600 shares worth $57.4 million after selling 11,224 shares.
• Analysts have mixed views on Ecolab's stock, with price targets ranging from $273 to $325 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".
• Ecolab recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.65, translating to an annualized yield of 0.96% and a payout ratio of 35.33%.

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ cut its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 4.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 226,600 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 11,224 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ owned approximately 0.08% of Ecolab worth $57,448,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Graney & King LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 176.7% in the 1st quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were bought 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 trade represents a 2.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL traded down $10.45 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $259.54. 1,225,362 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,324,637. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $266.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $256.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.26, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $220.96 and a fifty-two week high of $274.17.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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). Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.53% and a net margin of 13.41%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th were given a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 17th. Ecolab's payout ratio is 35.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Seaport Res Ptn raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Mizuho lifted their price target on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Ecolab from $277.00 to $273.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Barclays lowered their target price on Ecolab from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Ecolab from $271.00 to $288.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.