KCM Investment Advisors LLC Has $18.07 Million Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

KCM Investment Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 67,937 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,793 shares during the quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $18,073,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ECL. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $86,670,000 after buying an additional 68,062 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 38.7% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,870,000 after buying an additional 6,238 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in Ecolab by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $43,464,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 1,167.3% during the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 39,869 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,466,000 after acquiring an additional 36,723 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $1,571,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $271.19 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company’s 50-day moving average is $267.06 and its 200-day moving average is $273.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.32 billion, a PE ratio of 36.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.89. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.06.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 over the last three months. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Company 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.