Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Director David Maclennan Acquires 600 Shares of Stock

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Director David Maclennan acquired 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $308.12 per share, with a total value of $184,872.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 26,225 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,080,447. The trade was a 2.34% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of Ecolab stock traded down $3.31 during trading on Thursday, reaching $304.55. 1,066,349 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,465,596. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $285.40 and its 200 day moving average is $277.31. The firm has a market cap of $85.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.85. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $318.93.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The basic materials company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18. The company had revenue of $4.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.70 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.57% and a net margin of 11.99%. Ecolab’s revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.07 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ECL. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $328.58.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 14.1% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 9,491 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,606,000 after acquiring an additional 1,171 shares in the last quarter. Coastwise Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 13.2% during the third quarter. Coastwise Capital Group LLC now owns 877 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Ecolab by 307.1% in the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 228 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. TIAA CREF Individual & Institutional Services LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 14.0% in the third quarter. TIAA CREF Individual & Institutional Services LLC now owns 4,470 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,227,000 after purchasing an additional 548 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in Ecolab by 1.3% in the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 109,974 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,994,000 after purchasing an additional 1,384 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab Inc. provides water, hygiene, cleaning and infection-prevention products and services to businesses and institutions. Its solutions help customers manage water use, maintain sanitary environments and support operational efficiency. The company serves a range of industries, including food and beverage, foodservice, hospitality, healthcare, life sciences and manufacturing. Its offerings include cleaning and sanitizing products, water-treatment programs, pest-elimination services, and related monitoring and consulting support.