Sustainable Growth Advisers LP Sells 559,590 Shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Sustainable Growth Advisers LP decreased its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 44.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 709,141 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 559,590 shares during the quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP owned approximately 0.25% of Ecolab worth $179,781,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Graney & King LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 176.7% in the first quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE:ECL traded up $1.47 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $269.97. The company had a trading volume of 1,302,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,170,407. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $266.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $254.90. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $220.96 and a one year high of $274.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.57 billion, a PE ratio of 36.68, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.03.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.50. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.41% and a return on equity of 22.53%. The business had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 17th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.33%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $251.75 per share, with a total value of $125,875.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 19,465 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,900,313.75. This trade represents a 2.64% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ECL. UBS Group increased their price objective on Ecolab from $271.00 to $288.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Ecolab from $307.00 to $303.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Ecolab from $285.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $288.33.

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.