Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Purchased by Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI

Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI increased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 296.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,839 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,600 shares during the quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $2,547,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Riverwater Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 1,654 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC now owns 3,549 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $704,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. First Foundation Advisors lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 3.6% in the second quarter. First Foundation Advisors now owns 1,709 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $319,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. GS Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 0.4% in the third quarter. GS Investments Inc. now owns 16,041 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,717,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 3.6% in the third quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,875 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $318,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America raised Ecolab from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $185.00 to $216.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Ecolab from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Ecolab from $210.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Ecolab from $184.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $222.19.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of ECL traded up $0.38 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $228.31. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 118,903 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,209,411. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $156.72 and a twelve month high of $231.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The company has a market cap of $65.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a fifty day moving average of $216.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $194.50.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.92 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 19.36% and a net margin of 8.96%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.27 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 6.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 19th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 18th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 47.60%.

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.