Insider Buying: Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Director Buys 650 Shares of Stock

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Director David Maclennan bought 650 shares of the firm’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 owns 17,967 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,319,446.47. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE ECL traded up $2.47 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $233.72. The company had a trading volume of 1,040,713 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,165,231. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.72 and a 52-week high of $249.00. The stock has a market cap of $66.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.82, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $239.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $227.52.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.24 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 6.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 17th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 17th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 42.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. 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 report on Wednesday, July 31st. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $251.00 to $272.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $243.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group increased their price objective on Ecolab from $270.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Citigroup raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $267.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $249.13.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 150.0% in the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. PSI Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth about $27,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.