Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Purchased by Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 40.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,667 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $423,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 134.8% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Graney & King LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $263.81 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $74.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.03. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $252.41 and its 200-day moving average is $250.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.95. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $220.96 and a 12 month high of $273.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.50. The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.71 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.50% and a net margin of 13.42%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.34 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Barclays reduced their price objective on Ecolab from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Ecolab from $305.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 target price on Ecolab and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Ecolab from $277.00 to $273.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.13.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $251.75 per share, for a total transaction of $125,875.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 19,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,900,313.75. The trade was a 2.64% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company 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.