Twin Capital Management Inc. Acquires 1,908 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Twin Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 34.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,397 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,908 shares during the quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $2,026,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter worth $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 202.6% in the 2nd quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 81.5% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 purchase, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at $18,989,868.04. The trade was a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $290.63 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $270.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $270.58. 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 $82.32 billion, a PE ratio of 41.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $221.62 and a twelve month high of $291.08.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is an increase from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on ECL shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.33.

Ecolab 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.