Benjamin Edwards Inc. Reduces Position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lowered its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 17.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 812 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 175 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $161,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 150.0% in the fourth quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 42.5% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 208 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:ECL opened at $227.50 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.04 billion, a PE ratio of 42.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.09. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.72 and a 52-week high of $231.86. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $224.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $202.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.74 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 10.01% and a return on equity of 20.56%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.88 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 6.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 18th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 18th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 42.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays upgraded shares of Ecolab from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $225.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Ecolab from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $260.00 price target on the stock. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $236.88.

Ecolab 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.