Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Has $25.63 Million Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 79.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 107,678 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 47,833 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $25,627,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE ECL opened at $251.44 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.72 and a 52 week high of $253.57. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $244.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $235.85. The company has a market cap of $71.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.13.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 10.95% and a return on equity of 21.65%. Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 6.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 17th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on ECL shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $233.00 to $283.00 in a research report on Monday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $225.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Bank of America raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $251.00 to $272.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Ecolab from $243.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Ecolab to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.21.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Victoria Reich sold 393 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $98,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 24,041 shares in the company, valued at $6,010,250. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Gregory B. Cook sold 3,811 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.33, for a total value of $950,196.63. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,080 shares in the company, valued at $2,014,586.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Victoria Reich sold 393 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $98,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,041 shares in the company, valued at $6,010,250. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company 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.