Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Sold by Pathstone Holdings LLC

Pathstone Holdings LLC decreased its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 53,817 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 3,060 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $12,619,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Graney & King LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Larry L. Berger sold 10,858 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.95, for a total transaction of $2,898,543.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,744 shares in the company, valued at $4,202,860.80. The trade was a 40.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 856 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,140 shares in the company, valued at $1,106,911.80. The trade was a 17.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $302.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Ecolab from $307.00 to $303.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $283.13.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of ECL traded down $0.46 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $261.92. The company had a trading volume of 280,165 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,161,577. The stock has a market cap of $74.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.49, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.05. The company's 50 day moving average price is $246.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $247.82. 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 Inc. has a 52 week low of $220.96 and a 52 week high of $273.69.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. Ecolab's payout ratio is 35.33%.

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.