Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Stock Holdings Raised by Kanawha Capital Management LLC

Kanawha Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 72,642 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,024 shares during the period. Ecolab accounts for about 1.3% of Kanawha Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Kanawha Capital Management LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $17,021,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth $26,000. Concord Wealth Partners raised its stake in Ecolab by 62.0% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 149 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Abound Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 212.5% during the 4th quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 200 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $271.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays increased their price target on Ecolab from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $285.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Ecolab from $306.00 to $294.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Ecolab from $257.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $284.33.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, major shareholder William H. Gates III sold 106,542 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.21, for a total transaction of $25,698,995.82. Following the sale, the insider now owns 29,348,741 shares in the company, valued at $7,079,209,816.61. This trade represents a 0.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $264.51 per share, with a total value of $105,804.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 18,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,964,059.17. This represents a 2.18 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 182,263 shares of company stock valued at $44,426,069 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.4 %

ECL traded up $1.18 on Tuesday, reaching $265.92. 1,265,217 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,264,378. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $213.94 and a twelve month high of $268.00. The company's 50 day moving average is $243.29 and its 200-day moving average is $246.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.30. The company has a market cap of $75.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.30, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.14.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The basic materials company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.81. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.05% and a return on equity of 22.12%. Equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were given a $0.65 dividend. This is an increase from Ecolab's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 17th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.47%.

Ecolab Company 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.