Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Sells 2,055 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 71,468 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,055 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $18,762,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 164.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $867,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 39.8% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its position in Ecolab by 22.9% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $314,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,684,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in Ecolab by 49.4% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $15,741,000 after acquiring an additional 19,324 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

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

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. 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. On average, analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. One research 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Key Ecolab News

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

About Ecolab

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.