Thematics Asset Management Sells 35,000 Shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Thematics Asset Management cut its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 18.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 151,237 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 35,000 shares during the period. Ecolab comprises approximately 1.5% of Thematics Asset Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Thematics Asset Management’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $35,438,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 134.8% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Graney & King LLC bought a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Machiel Duijser sold 5,721 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.04, for a total value of $1,510,572.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,774 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $996,486.96. The trade was a 60.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 856 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $267.37, for a total value of $228,868.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 4,140 shares in the company, valued at $1,106,911.80. This trade represents a 17.13 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 17,435 shares of company stock worth $4,637,985. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Ecolab from $306.00 to $294.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $240.00 price objective (down from $265.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday. Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $270.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.33.

Ecolab Trading Up 1.1 %

ECL opened at $238.51 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $217.27 and a 52 week high of $273.69. The company has a market capitalization of $67.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.32, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.14. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $253.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $248.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The basic materials company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.81. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.50% and a net margin of 13.42%. Analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 35.23%.

Ecolab 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.