Natural Investments LLC Acquires New Holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

by · The Markets Daily

Natural Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 9,805 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,297,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Donaldson Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 28,388 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,652,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 916,647 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $214,789,000 after buying an additional 12,016 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 21.8% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 5,383 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,261,000 after buying an additional 965 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in Ecolab by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 61,033 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $14,301,000 after acquiring an additional 13,683 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FWG Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. FWG Holdings LLC now owns 1,975 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $493,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $264.51 per share, with a total value of $105,804.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 18,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,964,059.17. This represents a 2.18 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 856 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $267.37, for a total transaction of $228,868.72. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,106,911.80. This trade represents a 17.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 17,435 shares of company stock worth $4,637,985. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $265.54 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $217.05 and a 12 month high of $273.69. The firm has a market cap of $75.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $250.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $249.82.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The basic materials company reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.42% and a return on equity of 22.50%. On average, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $270.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup raised their price target on Ecolab from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $257.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $288.00.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Ecolab

Ecolab Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

Recommended Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ECL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report).