Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) is Thematics Asset Management’s 9th Largest Position

Thematics Asset Management decreased its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECLFree Report) by 0.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 186,237 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 800 shares during the quarter. Ecolab makes up 1.9% of Thematics Asset Management’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Thematics Asset Management’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $47,552,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NBC Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,778 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $453,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Community Financial Services Group LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 0.3% in the third quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 15,429 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,940,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 3.0% in the third quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,391 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 17.3% during the third quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 2,840 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $676,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL traded down $0.11 on Tuesday, hitting $246.81. 123,209 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,091,474. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $251.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $244.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.89 billion, a PE ratio of 34.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $186.13 and a 1-year high of $262.61.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECLGet Free Report) 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 company had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.05% and a return on equity of 22.12%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.54 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 6.65 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $228.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $251.00 to $272.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays boosted their target price on Ecolab from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. UBS Group cut Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $276.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Ecolab from $271.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight research 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.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.87.

Read Our Latest Report on Ecolab

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, major shareholder William H. Gates III sold 70,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.95, for a total transaction of $17,216,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,178,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,176,511,348.95. The trade was a 0.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gregory B. Cook sold 3,811 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.33, for a total value of $950,196.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,080 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,014,586.40. This trade represents a 32.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 838,770 shares of company stock worth $206,273,864 over the last quarter. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Ecolab (NYSE:ECL)

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