APG Asset Management N.V. Has $60.14 Million Stake in Ecolab Inc. (ECL)

APG Asset Management N.V. increased its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 19.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 453,037 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 73,500 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. owned 0.16% of Ecolab worth $60,141,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Macquarie Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 24,970 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,927,000 after buying an additional 1,880 shares in the last quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% in the first quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 52,259 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,550,000 after buying an additional 427 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Bank N.A. Trust Division increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 11.2% in the first quarter. First Financial Bank N.A. Trust Division now owns 37,475 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,697,000 after buying an additional 3,766 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.5% in the first quarter. Capital Investment Services of America Inc. now owns 124,943 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $15,660,000 after buying an additional 597 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chevy Chase Trust Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 7.6% in the first quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 522,078 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $65,437,000 after buying an additional 36,954 shares in the last quarter. 75.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Shares of Ecolab Inc. (ECL) traded down 0.09% during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $130.11. The company had a trading volume of 720,840 shares. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $132.07 and its 200-day moving average is $128.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.75 and a beta of 0.98. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $110.65 and a 12-month high of $134.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 18.93% and a net margin of 9.66%. The firm had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.08 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post $4.80 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 18th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.79%.

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Several research analysts have commented on ECL shares. Canaccord Genuity lifted their price target on Ecolab from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. UBS AG reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $144.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Group LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Credit Suisse Group set a $128.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $134.20.

In other Ecolab news, major shareholder William H. Gates III bought 75,500 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $132.57 per share, with a total value of $10,009,035.00. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael A. Hickey sold 13,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.30, for a total value of $1,798,810.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 37,851 shares of company stock worth $5,012,802. Company insiders own 1.49% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene and energy technologies and services. The Company’s cleaning and sanitizing programs and products, pest elimination services and equipment maintenance and repair services support customers in the foodservice, food and beverage processing, hospitality, healthcare, government and education, retail, textile care and commercial facilities management sectors in over 170 countries.