J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Reduces Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG cut its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 32.5% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 96,164 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 46,319 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $26,335,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in Ecolab by 64.5% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $240,676,000 after purchasing an additional 344,541 shares during the period. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 72,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $19,773,000 after buying an additional 14,800 shares during the period. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,104,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 205,951 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $56,402,000 after acquiring an additional 4,670 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $13,533,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total transaction of $5,676,256.74. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,989,868.04. The trade was a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $283.59 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $80.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $286.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $267.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $269.54.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.07. The business had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The company’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were paid a $0.73 dividend. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 41.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on ECL. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $324.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Mizuho set a $315.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 target price on Ecolab and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $296.00.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.