Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 71,468 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,055 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $18,762,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its position in Ecolab by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $86,670,000 after acquiring an additional 68,062 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 64.5% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $240,676,000 after acquiring an additional 344,541 shares during the last quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 25.8% during the 3rd quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 72,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $19,773,000 after acquiring an additional 14,800 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 66,656 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $18,254,000 after acquiring an additional 11,322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ABN Amro Investment Solutions increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 83,379 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $22,834,000 after acquiring an additional 13,840 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ECL shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. UBS Group lowered their target price on Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Bank of America raised their target price on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $260.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $275.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.25. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $248.58 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.02.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Key Headlines Impacting Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital reaffirmed its Buy rating on Ecolab, signaling continued analyst confidence that supports demand for the stock. BMO Reaffirms Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho issued a Buy on Ecolab, another fresh vote of confidence from the sell?side that can support buying interest. Mizuho Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 highlights: Ecolab reported EPS roughly in line with expectations and revenue that beat estimates, and it provided FY2026 guidance — results and guidance together support the stock’s upward move. Q1 Earnings Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Business expansion: Ecolab Life Sciences opened a new bioprocessing applications center in Korea, strengthening its Asian footprint in a higher?margin, fast?growing end market. This is a strategic revenue?growth catalyst. Life Sciences Korea Center
• Positive Sentiment: Third?party coverage and thematic lists (Zacks, InsiderMonkey) are flagging Ecolab for positive earnings momentum and dividend growth appeal, which can attract income and momentum investors. Zacks Coverage InsiderMonkey List
• Neutral Sentiment: Ecolab will webcast its virtual annual meeting on May 7 — routine corporate governance news with limited direct price impact but worth noting for shareholders. Annual Meeting Webcast
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup trimmed its price target slightly (from $330 to $325) but retained a Buy rating — a modest signal that expectations remain favorable though near?term upside math was nudged lower. Benzinga: Citi PT Change
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group nudged down its FY2026/FY2027 EPS forecasts and keeps a Hold rating — small downward estimate revisions add modest pressure to sentiment and underscore some near?term analyst caution. MarketBeat: Erste Estimates

Ecolab Profile

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.