Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Bought by Kanawha Capital Management LLC

by · The Markets Daily

Kanawha Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 71,618 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Ecolab makes up about 1.3% of Kanawha Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Kanawha Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $18,286,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ECL. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,486,858 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,423,116,000 after purchasing an additional 304,402 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in Ecolab by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,558,198 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $608,851,000 after acquiring an additional 122,715 shares during the period. Mirova US LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Mirova US LLC now owns 1,975,415 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $470,149,000 after acquiring an additional 43,553 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter worth $390,687,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.8% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,372,379 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $326,626,000 after purchasing an additional 24,648 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director Victoria Reich sold 393 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $98,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 24,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,010,250. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP Gregory B. Cook sold 3,811 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.33, for a total value of $950,196.63. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,080 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,014,586.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Victoria Reich sold 393 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $98,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 24,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,010,250. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on ECL shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $233.00 to $283.00 in a research report on Monday, July 8th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Ecolab from $288.00 to $276.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Citigroup raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $267.00 to $265.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.20.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Ecolab

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL opened at $244.57 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $252.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $242.10. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $167.30 and a twelve month high of $262.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.59 billion, a PE ratio of 34.30, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.13.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.12% and a net margin of 13.05%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.54 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 6.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Ecolab

(Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

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