Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stock Position Lifted by McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc.

McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 162.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,320 shares during the quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,469,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $847,544,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in Ecolab by 119.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,036,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $548,671,000 after purchasing an additional 1,109,585 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 115.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $193,753,000 after purchasing an additional 389,981 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 64.5% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $240,676,000 after buying an additional 344,541 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,662,213 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,644,987,000 after buying an additional 250,980 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $282.03 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $286.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.70. The company has a market cap of $79.88 billion, a PE ratio of 40.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.99. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $269.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $269.96.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at $18,989,868.04. The trade was a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on ECL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $297.33.

Ecolab Profile

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.