Valley National Advisers Inc. decreased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Get Rating) by 15.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 906 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 160 shares during the quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $139,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital International Investors purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $304,475,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 429.2% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 904,997 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $159,786,000 after purchasing an additional 734,000 shares during the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 180.7% during the third quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 604,889 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $87,361,000 after purchasing an additional 389,400 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 34.4% in the 2nd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,328,414 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $204,256,000 after buying an additional 339,650 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Ecolab by 596.8% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 375,188 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $66,243,000 after buying an additional 321,342 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.76% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
ECL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $158.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Ecolab from $175.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Friday, December 9th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Ecolab from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. Barclays increased their price objective on Ecolab from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $140.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 15th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.13.
Ecolab Stock Up 1.0 %
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 14th. The basic materials company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.02. Ecolab had a return on equity of 18.02% and a net margin of 7.69%. The business had revenue of $3.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 4.94 EPS for the current year.
Ecolab Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 21st will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 20th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.50%.
Insider Activity at Ecolab
In other news, EVP Larry L. Berger sold 4,404 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.95, for a total value of $717,631.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,027,423.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.
About Ecolab
Ecolab, Inc engages in the provision of products and services in the field of water, hygiene, and energy. It operates through the following segments: Global Industrial, Global Institutional & Specialty, Global Energy & Life Science, and Other. The Global Industrial segment consists of the water, food and beverage, paper, and downstream operating segments.
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