Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Has $349.54 Million Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,276,330 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 30,144 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.45% of Ecolab worth $349,536,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 164.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $867,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 39.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $121,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 6.4% in the second quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,774 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $478,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 103.7% in the second quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 2,210 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 1,125 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $288.10 on Thursday. 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 company has a market cap of $81.60 billion, a PE ratio of 41.39, 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 $289.31. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $270.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $270.31.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total transaction of $5,676,256.74. Following the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,999.50. The trade was a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ecolab from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Erste Group Bank downgraded Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.33.

About Ecolab

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.