Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Downgraded by UBS Group to Neutral

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) was downgraded by investment analysts at UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Briefing.com reports. They presently have a $276.00 price objective on the basic materials company’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 12.85% from the company’s current price.

ECL has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Bank of America upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $251.00 to $272.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $240.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $235.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Ecolab from $271.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.20.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $244.57 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $252.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $242.10. The company has a market capitalization of $69.59 billion, a PE ratio of 34.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.13. Ecolab has a 12-month low of $167.30 and a 12-month high of $262.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.12% and a net margin of 13.05%. Ecolab’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.54 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 6.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, EVP Gregory B. Cook sold 3,811 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.33, for a total transaction of $950,196.63. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,080 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,014,586.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Victoria Reich sold 393 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director now 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Gregory B. Cook sold 3,811 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 8,080 shares in the company, valued at $2,014,586.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ECL. XML Financial LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 2,258 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $577,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1.4% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 38,191 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,751,000 after acquiring an additional 536 shares in the last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 5.3% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 997 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $709,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 14.2% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 7,182 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,834,000 after acquiring an additional 892 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

About Ecolab

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.