Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lowered its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) by 30.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,593 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 690 shares during the quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 70.6% in the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.
Ecolab Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $276.37 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $78.38 billion, a PE ratio of 36.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.09. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $274.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $263.73. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $286.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.44.
Ecolab Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.71%.
Insider Activity
In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan acquired 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $278.51 per share, for a total transaction of $167,106.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,640,663.03. This trade represents a 3.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total transaction of $225,378.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,208,165.28. This represents a 15.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
ECL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Monday, October 6th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $299.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab to an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $290.92.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on ECL
About Ecolab
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.
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