Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Acquired by YHB Investment Advisors Inc.

YHB Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 84,706 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 217 shares during the quarter. Ecolab accounts for approximately 1.5% of YHB Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. YHB Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $15,814,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. grew its holdings in Ecolab by 0.5% during the second quarter. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. now owns 11,952 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,231,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 9,377 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.8% in the first quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 2,447 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Abbrea Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.9% in the first quarter. Abbrea Capital LLC now owns 7,718 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,282,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Baron Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,096 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $347,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. 73.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $183.91. The company had a trading volume of 52,057 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,074,219. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.66, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.04. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $191.41. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $170.72 and its 200 day moving average is $176.58.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.02. Ecolab had a return on equity of 18.81% and a net margin of 8.18%. The firm had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.99 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 5.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup dropped their price target on Ecolab from $207.00 to $187.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 4th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 2nd. Berenberg Bank assumed coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Friday, September 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $194.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Friday, September 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ecolab from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $194.64.

Ecolab Profile

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Global Industrial, Global Institutional & Specialty, and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences segments. 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.