Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) was upgraded by stock analysts at Oppenheimer from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report issued on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $320.00 price target on the basic materials company’s stock. Oppenheimer’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 17.26% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Bank of America increased their price target on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock 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 MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.06.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $272.91 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $264.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $273.03. The stock has a market cap of $76.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Ecolab has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company 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 expect that Ecolab will post 8.13 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders acquired 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in 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. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.9% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% during the fourth 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 period. Finally, Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $1,022,334,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

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.