Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stock Acquired by Kestra Advisory Services LLC

Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 28.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,056 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,077 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $6,331,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co bought a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Wellington Altus USA Inc. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 64.2% during the second quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. now owns 110 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Polaris Financial Partners bought a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of Ecolab 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This trade represents a 19.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $307.51 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $318.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $86.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a fifty day moving average of $285.40 and a 200 day moving average of $277.31.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The basic materials company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.57% and a net margin of 11.99%. The business had revenue of $4.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.70 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.07 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ECL. Berenberg Bank lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $299.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ecolab from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Ecolab from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Ecolab from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $328.58.

About Ecolab

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.