Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Raises Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 170.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 8,090 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,096 shares during the quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $2,216,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp raised its holdings in Ecolab by 202.6% in the 2nd quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 81.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This represents a 19.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total value of $5,676,256.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at $18,989,868.04. The trade was a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $281.44 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $268.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $269.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $286.04. The stock has a market cap of $79.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.44, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07. The firm had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. This is an increase from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ECL. Mizuho set a $315.00 price target on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $324.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $297.33.

Ecolab Profile

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.