Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Stock Position Lifted by Cullinan Associates Inc.

Cullinan Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 39.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,914 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 6,791 shares during the quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $5,604,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Concord Wealth Partners grew its position in Ecolab by 62.0% during the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 149 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Abound Wealth Management grew its stake in Ecolab by 212.5% during the fourth quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 200 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 2,188.9% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 206 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL stock traded up $0.08 on Thursday, reaching $249.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,068,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,151,918. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $200.50 and a 52 week high of $262.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $241.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $245.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $70.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.14.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 17th. This is a boost from Ecolab's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Ecolab from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $263.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $276.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, November 4th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $279.00 to $290.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Ecolab from $271.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $235.00 to $310.00 in a report on Friday, October 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $278.60.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder William H. Gates III sold 100,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.06, for a total transaction of $24,806,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,718,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,372,030,892.46. This trade represents a 0.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 360,415 shares of company stock worth $88,350,899. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.