Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,315 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,668 shares during the quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $10,384,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 134.8% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Graney & King LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 856 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $267.37, for a total value of $228,868.72. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 4,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,106,911.80. This trade represents a 17.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $264.51 per share, with a total value of $105,804.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 18,767 shares in the company, valued at $4,964,059.17. This represents a 2.18 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,435 shares of company stock valued at $4,637,985 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL traded up $1.09 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $248.00. 458,217 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,152,407. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.14. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $220.96 and a 1-year high of $273.69. The company has a 50-day moving average of $249.50 and a 200 day moving average of $247.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ECL. Mizuho lowered their price target on Ecolab from $302.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Argus upgraded Ecolab to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Ecolab from $305.00 to $275.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $240.00 target price (down from $265.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $282.07.

Ecolab 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.