Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Buys 5,096 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 170.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,090 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring 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.

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

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $281.44 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $268.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $269.74. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $286.04. The company has a market capitalization of $79.71 billion, a PE ratio of 40.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.99.

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

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a $0.73 dividend. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ECL. Evercore ISI raised Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $265.00 to $300.00 in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.