Hantz Financial Services Inc. Sells 1,765 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Hantz Financial Services Inc. decreased its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 18.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,771 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,765 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $2,128,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC increased its stake 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. Wealth Group Ltd increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 4.9% in 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 last quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 4.7% during the second quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $247,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 0.9% during the second quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,246,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 3.8% in the third quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 price objective on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Mizuho set a $315.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.33.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of ECL opened at $286.96 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $81.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.70. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $290.00. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $270.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $270.42.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This is an increase 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 bought 750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The stock was bought 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 owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was 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 approximately $18,989,868.04. This represents a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.