Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) by 28.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,056 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,077 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $6,331,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Wellington Altus USA Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 64.2% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. now owns 110 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Polaris Financial Partners purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth about $31,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
ECL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Berenberg Bank boosted their target price on Ecolab from $299.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Citigroup increased their price target on Ecolab from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Ecolab from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Zacks Research raised Ecolab from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 7th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on Ecolab from $287.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $328.58.
View Our Latest Analysis on Ecolab
Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab
In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.
Ecolab Trading Up 0.5%
Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $307.51 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $285.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $277.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $318.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.84, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.85.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.07 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.
Ecolab 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.
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