333,808 Shares in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Acquired by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 333,808 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $78,218,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.12% of Ecolab at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Ecolab by 134.8% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Graney & King LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE ECL traded up $1.41 during trading on Thursday, hitting $264.16. 1,035,813 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,168,429. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $220.96 and a 12 month high of $273.69. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $247.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $248.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $74.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.79, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.05.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.50% and a net margin of 13.42%. The company had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.34 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $257.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Ecolab from $277.00 to $273.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $307.00 to $303.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $283.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $251.75 per share, for a total transaction of $125,875.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 19,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,900,313.75. This trade represents a 2.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

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.