Liberty Capital Management Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Liberty Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,889 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 41 shares during the quarter. Ecolab makes up approximately 1.2% of Liberty Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Liberty Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $5,589,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $258.24 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $73.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.13. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $251.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.37. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $156.72 and a twelve month high of $262.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 10.95% and a return on equity of 21.65%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.24 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 6.65 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 17th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on ECL shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $243.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $288.00 to $276.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Citigroup raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $267.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $235.00 to $310.00 in a report on Friday, October 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $271.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 650 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $240.41 per share, with a total value of $156,266.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,319,446.47. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Gregory B. Cook sold 3,811 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.33, for a total value of $950,196.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,080 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,014,586.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 650 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $240.41 per share, with a total value of $156,266.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,967 shares in the company, valued at $4,319,446.47. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

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.