Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Sold by Bahl & Gaynor Inc.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lowered its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 137,582 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,510 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $32,238,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Ecolab by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,441,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $337,770,000 after acquiring an additional 38,402 shares in the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 70,740 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $16,576,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 19,002 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,453,000 after purchasing an additional 1,270 shares in the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,528 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meridian Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,993 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $701,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan bought 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $264.51 per share, with a total value of $105,804.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 18,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,964,059.17. This represents a 2.18 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 856 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $267.37, for a total value of $228,868.72. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,106,911.80. This trade represents a 17.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 17,435 shares of company stock worth $4,637,985. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $269.47 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $247.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $248.96. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $217.05 and a 1 year high of $273.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $76.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.51, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.14.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 35.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Citigroup raised their target price on Ecolab from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group upped their price target on Ecolab from $257.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Ecolab from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $263.00 to $280.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $288.00.

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.