Voya Financial Advisors Inc. Has $639,000 Stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Voya Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,724 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 117 shares during the quarter. Voya Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $639,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its holdings in Ecolab by 134.8% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Graney & King LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL opened at $238.08 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $218.25 and a 1 year high of $273.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The company has a market capitalization of $67.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.14. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $250.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $248.11.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The basic materials company reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.81. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.42% and a return on equity of 22.50%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.09%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Ecolab from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $263.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Argus raised shares of Ecolab to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $277.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Seaport Res Ptn raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on Ecolab from $302.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, EVP Larry L. Berger sold 10,858 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.95, for a total value of $2,898,543.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,744 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,202,860.80. The trade was a 40.82 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 400 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $264.51 per share, with a total value of $105,804.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 18,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,964,059.17. This trade represents a 2.18 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 17,435 shares of company stock worth $4,637,985 in the last quarter. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.