Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Decreases Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. lowered its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 134,210 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 6,385 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $31,942,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.6% during the second quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 2,840 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $676,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 42.1% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 152 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 4,290 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $990,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% during the second quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 6,122 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,457,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor OS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.2% during the second quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 4,023 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $957,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $254.59 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $245.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $237.02. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $156.72 and a 12-month high of $256.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.15, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.13.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 17th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 42.22%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan acquired 650 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $240.41 per share, with a total value of $156,266.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,319,446.47. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, 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 sale, the director now owns 24,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,010,250. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $240.41 per share, with a total value of $156,266.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 17,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,319,446.47. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ecolab to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Citigroup raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the company from $267.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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. UBS Group cut their price objective on Ecolab from $288.00 to $276.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $251.00 to $272.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $265.43.

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.