Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Sold by Segment Wealth Management LLC

Segment Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,755 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 161 shares during the quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $348,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Live Oak Investment Partners acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Robbins Farley bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth $27,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of ECL stock opened at $225.00 on Wednesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.72 and a 12 month high of $231.86. The company has a market cap of $64.33 billion, a PE ratio of 47.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The business’s 50 day moving average is $220.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $196.68.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 8.96% and a return on equity of 19.36%. The firm had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.92 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.27 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 6.42 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 19th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 18th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 47.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $220.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Ecolab from $193.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Ecolab from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $226.76.

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.