Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Hits New 52-Week High on Analyst Upgrade

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high on Monday after BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on the stock from $295.00 to $305.00. BMO Capital Markets currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Ecolab traded as high as $273.69 and last traded at $271.88, with a volume of 41701 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $269.01.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on ECL. Barclays lifted their price target on Ecolab from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Argus upgraded shares of Ecolab to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Ecolab from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $263.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $288.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 856 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $267.37, for a total value of $228,868.72. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Larry L. Berger sold 10,858 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.95, for a total value of $2,898,543.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,744 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,202,860.80. The trade was a 40.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,435 shares of company stock valued at $4,637,985 in the last 90 days. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in Ecolab by 134.8% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Graney & King LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

The company's 50-day simple moving average is $248.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $249.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

About Ecolab

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.