Pacer Advisors Inc. Has $6.48 Million Position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Pacer Advisors Inc. reduced its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 18.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 27,665 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 6,221 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $6,482,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,778 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $453,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.3% during the third quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 15,429 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,940,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,391 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its stake in Ecolab by 17.3% during the third quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 292 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perfromance Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Perfromance Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,097 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $726,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL stock traded up $5.72 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $252.65. 1,004,901 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,161,377. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $241.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $245.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $195.49 and a twelve month high of $262.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.13.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.05% and a return on equity of 22.12%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.54 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 17th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 17th. This is a boost from Ecolab's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 36.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $235.00 to $310.00 in a report on Friday, October 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $279.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Ecolab from $305.00 to $270.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $278.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, major shareholder William H. Gates III sold 70,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.95, for a total transaction of $17,216,500.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,178,741 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,176,511,348.95. This trade represents a 0.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 425,430 shares of company stock valued at $104,201,556 in the last 90 days. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.