Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Director Purchases 600 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Director David Maclennan bought 600 Ecolab shares at an average price of $308.12, spending $184,872. The purchase increased his direct holding by 2.34% to 26,225 shares.
• Ecolab reported quarterly EPS of $2.18, matching analysts’ consensus, while revenue rose 12.7% year over year to $4.69 billion—slightly below estimates.
• Analysts have a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $328.58; shares traded at $304.55 on Thursday.

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) Director David Maclennan acquired 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $308.12 per share, with a total value of $184,872.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 26,225 shares in the company, valued at $8,080,447. The trade was a 2.34% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL traded down $3.31 during trading on Thursday, reaching $304.55. The stock had a trading volume of 1,066,349 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,465,596. The stock has a market cap of $85.42 billion, a PE ratio of 41.44, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.11. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $318.93. The business has a 50-day moving average of $285.40 and a 200-day moving average of $277.31.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The basic materials company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.18. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.57% and a net margin of 11.99%. The firm had revenue of $4.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.07 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth $30,000. Wellington Altus USA Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 64.2% in the second quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. now owns 110 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Polaris Financial Partners bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Zacks Research raised shares of Ecolab from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, September 7th. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $287.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $328.58.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab Inc. provides water, hygiene, cleaning and infection-prevention products and services to businesses and institutions. Its solutions help customers manage water use, maintain sanitary environments and support operational efficiency. The company serves a range of industries, including food and beverage, foodservice, hospitality, healthcare, life sciences and manufacturing. Its offerings include cleaning and sanitizing products, water-treatment programs, pest-elimination services, and related monitoring and consulting support.

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