BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Decreases Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S trimmed its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 113,968 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,269 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $31,211,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 1.3% in the second quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 2,995 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $807,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.9% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 3.8% during the third quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at $18,989,868.04. This represents a 23.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ecolab Trading Up 2.0%

ECL opened at $288.10 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $289.31. The business’s 50 day moving average is $270.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $270.31. The firm has a market cap of $81.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.99.

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 $0.73 dividend. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 41.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ECL. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 price target on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup upped their price target on Ecolab from $315.00 to $324.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $297.33.

Ecolab Company 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.