Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Bought by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,164 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,943,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $254.92 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $72.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.13. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.72 and a 12 month high of $255.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $244.60 and its 200-day moving average is $236.24.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 17th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their target price on Ecolab from $288.00 to $276.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $225.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $233.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Citigroup raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $267.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.21.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 650 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $240.41 per share, for a total transaction of $156,266.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 17,967 shares in the company, valued at $4,319,446.47. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Victoria Reich sold 393 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $98,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,041 shares in the company, valued at $6,010,250. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $240.41 per share, for a total transaction of $156,266.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 17,967 shares in the company, valued at $4,319,446.47. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.