Machina Capital S.A.S. Makes New $3.39 Million Investment in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 12,368 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,387,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 164.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $867,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 39.8% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter worth $121,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 6.4% in the second quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,774 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $478,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 103.7% during 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on ECL. UBS Group increased their price objective on Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $297.33.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total value of $5,676,256.74. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. This represents a 23.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $282.19 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.70. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $286.04. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $270.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $270.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.99.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

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

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.