Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) had its target price decreased by Robert W. Baird from $277.00 to $273.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has a neutral rating on the basic materials company's stock.
Several other brokerages have also issued reports on ECL. UBS Group raised their price objective on Ecolab from $257.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $240.00 price objective (down from $265.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Ecolab from $306.00 to $294.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Ecolab from $302.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. 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, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $282.47.
View Our Latest Stock Report on ECL
Ecolab Stock Up 1.0 %
Shares of NYSE:ECL traded up $2.52 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $255.14. The stock had a trading volume of 1,099,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,157,681. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.14. The firm's 50 day moving average is $248.81 and its 200-day moving average is $247.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.26. Ecolab has a 1 year low of $220.96 and a 1 year high of $273.69.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released 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. The business had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.71 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.50% and a net margin of 13.42%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ecolab will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Ecolab Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.23%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 856 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $267.37, for a total transaction of $228,868.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,140 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,106,911.80. The trade was a 17.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Larry L. Berger sold 10,858 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.95, for a total value of $2,898,543.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,744 shares in the company, valued at $4,202,860.80. This trade represents a 40.82 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 17,435 shares of company stock valued at $4,637,985. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab
A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 796,170 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $203,285,000 after purchasing an additional 69,142 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 276.3% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,886 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,290,000 after buying an additional 9,462 shares in the last quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth $9,830,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 797.3% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 17,820 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $4,550,000 after acquiring an additional 15,834 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.6% during the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 56,276 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $14,368,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Ecolab
(
Get Free Report)
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.
See Also
Before you consider Ecolab, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Ecolab wasn't on the list.
While Ecolab currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
If a company's CEO, COO, and CFO were all selling shares of their stock, would you want to know? MarketBeat just compiled its list of the twelve stocks that corporate insiders are abandoning. Complete the form below to see which companies made the list.
Get This Free Report
