Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC Sells 1,545 Shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 304,794 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,545 shares during the period. Ecolab comprises approximately 3.3% of Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC owned 0.11% of Ecolab worth $71,419,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Coastline Trust Co purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Concord Wealth Partners increased its holdings in Ecolab by 62.0% during the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 149 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Abound Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 212.5% during the fourth quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, major shareholder William H. Gates III sold 106,542 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.21, for a total transaction of $25,698,995.82. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,348,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,079,209,816.61. This represents a 0.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last quarter, insiders sold 360,415 shares of company stock valued at $88,350,899. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $247.39 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $200.50 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 0.97. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $241.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $245.96. The company has a market capitalization of $70.05 billion, a PE ratio of 34.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.14.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 17th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 17th. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $276.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Ecolab from $271.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.60.

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.