Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Has $1.13 Million Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 253.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,112 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,950 shares during the quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,126,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 2,995 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $807,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.5% during the second quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 7,534 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,030,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 4.9% during the third quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 4.7% in the second quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Level Four Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 0.9% in the second quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,246,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. UBS Group increased their price target on Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ecolab from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.33.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $282.59 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $286.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $269.23 and a 200-day moving average of $269.83. The company has a market capitalization of $80.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07. The firm had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.57 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 41.95%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total transaction of $5,676,256.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. This trade represents a 23.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Ecolab

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.