Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $279.87.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $240.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Ecolab from $271.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Barclays increased their price target on Ecolab from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $247.93 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.20 billion, a PE ratio of 34.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.13. Ecolab has a 52 week low of $189.58 and a 52 week high of $262.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $250.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $245.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.30.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.12% and a net margin of 13.05%. The company had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.54 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Ecolab will post 6.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.98%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director Victoria Reich sold 393 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $98,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 24,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,010,250. This trade represents a 1.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder William H. Gates III sold 106,542 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.21, for a total transaction of $25,698,995.82. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,348,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,079,209,816.61. This represents a 0.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 834,959 shares of company stock valued at $205,323,667. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Coastline Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.