US Ecology, Inc. (ECOL) Receives $50.00 Consensus PT from Analysts

US Ecology, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECOL) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $51.67.

ECOL has been the subject of a number of research reports. BidaskClub upgraded shares of US Ecology from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 30th. Canaccord Genuity restated a “buy” rating on shares of US Ecology in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of US Ecology from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of US Ecology in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of US Ecology in a research note on Thursday, June 29th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $54.00 target price for the company.

Shares of US Ecology (NASDAQ ECOL) traded up 0.10% on Tuesday, hitting $51.50. 22,305 shares of the stock were exchanged. US Ecology has a one year low of $38.00 and a one year high of $55.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a PE ratio of 40.27 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $51.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $50.15.

US Ecology (NASDAQ:ECOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The business services provider reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38. The company had revenue of $126.06 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $128.38 million. US Ecology had a net margin of 5.86% and a return on equity of 11.37%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.41 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that US Ecology will post $1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 21st were paid a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 19th. US Ecology’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.25%.

In other US Ecology news, Director Stephen A. Romano sold 3,000 shares of US Ecology stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.05, for a total value of $156,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 28,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,477,959.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Mercantile Trust Co. increased its position in US Ecology by 2.0% in the second quarter. First Mercantile Trust Co. now owns 2,090 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $106,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in US Ecology by 2.1% in the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,410 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. LS Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in US Ecology by 210.9% in the first quarter. LS Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,543 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $119,000 after buying an additional 1,725 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in US Ecology by 36.4% in the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,779 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $130,000 after buying an additional 742 shares during the period. Finally, Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. increased its position in US Ecology by 193.2% in the first quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,865 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $133,000 after buying an additional 1,888 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.55% of the company’s stock.

US Ecology Company Profile

US Ecology, Inc is a provider of environmental services to commercial and government entities. The Company offers treatment, disposal and recycling of hazardous, non-hazardous and radioactive waste, as well as a range of field and industrial services. The Company operates in two business segments: Environmental Services, and Field & Industrial Services.