Strategic Blueprint LLC Sells 115 Shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Strategic Blueprint LLC lessened its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 8.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,316 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 115 shares during the quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $336,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the subject of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Ecolab from $260.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $306.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $235.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Citigroup upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $267.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Ecolab from $228.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.20.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $244.57 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $252.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $241.79. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $167.30 and a twelve month high of $262.61. The stock has a market cap of $69.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.30, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.12% and a net margin of 13.05%. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.54 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 6.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, 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 owns 24,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,010,250. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, 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 transaction of $98,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,010,250. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Gregory B. Cook sold 3,811 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The shares were 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 approximately $2,014,586.40. This represents 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.

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.