Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Rating Increased to Outperform at Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research note published on Friday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $320.00 price objective on the basic materials company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. UBS Group raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $324.06.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $272.91 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $76.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. Ecolab has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $264.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $273.03.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. Ecolab’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 8.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.51%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have acquired 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.