Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Bought by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,395,492 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 11,521 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $353,785,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 176.7% in the first quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its position 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. Finally, Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $280.09 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $268.16 and a 200 day moving average of $258.47. The company has a market capitalization of $79.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.39, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.06. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $281.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 34.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $273.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $291.21.

Ecolab Profile

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.