Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Makes New Investment in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Oppenheimer Asset Management initiated a 61,532-share Ecolab position worth approximately $17.1 million, while institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of the company.
• Ecolab exceeded quarterly expectations with $2.09 in earnings per share and $4.42 billion in revenue, up 9.7% year over year. The company issued third-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $2.13–$2.23.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $327.56, compared with the stock’s reported price of $276.28. Ecolab also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, yielding approximately 1.1% annually.

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 61,532 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $17,143,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,649,026,000 after buying an additional 137,578 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Ecolab by 63.1% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,788,497,000 after acquiring an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in Ecolab by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,069,468,000 after acquiring an additional 441,747 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,472,599,000 after acquiring an additional 46,569 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors bought a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,022,334,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.0%

Ecolab stock opened at $276.28 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $274.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $77.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The business's revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab's payout ratio is 39.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ECL. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. 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. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source