Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Position Reduced by Capital Investment Services of America Inc.

Capital Investment Services of America Inc. reduced its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 116,809 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 841 shares during the quarter. Ecolab makes up about 2.6% of Capital Investment Services of America Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Capital Investment Services of America Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $27,371,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $492,000. Choreo LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 7,380 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,730,000 after purchasing an additional 994 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in Ecolab by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 31,849 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $7,545,000 after buying an additional 1,747 shares during the period. Osprey Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Osprey Private Wealth LLC now owns 12,005 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,813,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth about $85,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $249.33 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $195.72 and a 1 year high of $262.61. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $241.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $245.90. The company has a market cap of $70.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.14.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 17th. This is an increase from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 36.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on ECL. StockNews.com cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 25th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Ecolab from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $263.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $235.00 to $310.00 in a report on Friday, October 18th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Ecolab from $305.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $228.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, major shareholder William H. Gates III sold 83,873 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.96, for a total transaction of $20,629,403.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,534,868 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,264,396,133.28. This trade represents a 0.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 360,415 shares of company stock worth $88,350,899. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.