Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Has $6.71 Million Position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 49.5% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 29,055 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 28,473 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $6,709,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 150.0% during the fourth quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Motco purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2,042.9% in the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.7 %

ECL traded up $1.62 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $246.12. 745,634 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,109,538. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $237.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $222.45. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.72 and a 52 week high of $246.49.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 10.01% and a return on equity of 20.56%. The business had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.88 earnings per share. Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 6.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 18th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 18th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on ECL. Citigroup lifted their price target on Ecolab from $257.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $270.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $216.00 to $260.00 in a report on Friday, April 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $244.06.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $227.37 per share, for a total transaction of $147,790.50. Following the purchase, the director now owns 17,111 shares in the company, valued at $3,890,528.07. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Arthur J. Higgins sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.52, for a total value of $1,023,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 25,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,812,680.96. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 650 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $227.37 per share, with a total value of $147,790.50. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 17,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,890,528.07. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company 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.