Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Major Shareholder William H. Gates III Sells 65,015 Shares

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) major shareholder William H. Gates III sold 65,015 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.80, for a total value of $15,850,657.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 30,388,741 shares in the company, valued at $7,408,775,055.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $244.50. The stock had a trading volume of 1,008,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,089,320. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $172.79 and a 12 month high of $262.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.57 billion, a PE ratio of 34.29, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.30. The company’s 50-day moving average is $252.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $242.28.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.12% and a net margin of 13.05%. The company had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.54 EPS. Ecolab’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 6.66 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Norden Group LLC bought a new position in Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth $214,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,402 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Graypoint LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 1,939 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $448,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth about $852,000. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 57.5% in the 1st quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 23,632 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,457,000 after acquiring an additional 8,630 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Friday, October 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Ecolab from $228.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded 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. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $306.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Ecolab from $271.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.20.

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.