Marshall Wace LLP Raises Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 783,982 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,496 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.28% of Ecolab worth $183,703,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 9,072 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,126,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 356.0% in the fourth quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 31,530 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $7,388,000 after acquiring an additional 24,615 shares during the period. Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $476,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth approximately $976,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $900,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan acquired 400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $264.51 per share, for a total transaction of $105,804.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 18,767 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,964,059.17. This trade represents a 2.18 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 856 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,106,911.80. The trade was a 17.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 17,435 shares of company stock worth $4,637,985. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $240.00 price objective (down previously from $265.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Robert W. Baird set a $277.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Ecolab from $302.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $257.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $282.33.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE:ECL traded down $7.35 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $231.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 212,666 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,144,033. The company has a market capitalization of $65.63 billion, a PE ratio of 31.35, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.14. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $217.27 and a 52-week high of $273.69. The business's 50-day moving average is $253.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $248.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.26.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The basic materials company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.81. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.42% and a return on equity of 22.50%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.23%.

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.