Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas

Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas reduced its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 16.1% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 23,695 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,561 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas’ holdings in Ecolab were worth $6,303,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during 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 buying an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its stake in Ecolab by 26,152.0% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 945,072 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $24,810,000 after acquiring an additional 941,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 58.8% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,243,825 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $596,902,000 after purchasing an additional 830,726 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Oppenheimer raised 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. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $326.44.

Ecolab News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ecolab reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $2.09, slightly above the $2.08 consensus, while revenue reached $4.42 billion versus expectations of $4.39 billion. Revenue grew 9.7% year over year, and adjusted EPS increased 11%, supported by pricing, volume growth, and productivity. Ecolab Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $8.05-$8.25, representing expected growth of 7%-10%. Strong demand was especially evident in Global High-Tech, where organic sales rose 29%, and Life Sciences, where organic sales increased 15%. Ecolab Raises 2026 EPS Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted accelerating growth across core businesses and improving margins, despite rising commodity costs and Middle East-related disruptions. Ecolab also repurchased approximately 1.2 million shares during the quarter. Ecolab Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target from $295 to $305 and reiterated an Overweight rating. William Blair also maintained a Buy rating, citing the earnings beat, higher guidance, and margin recovery. JPMorgan Raises Ecolab Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Ecolab expects third-quarter adjusted EPS of $2.13-$2.23, below the $2.27 analyst consensus, although the forecast still implies continued earnings growth. Ecolab Beats Q2 Estimates and Raises Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank modestly reduced its fiscal 2027 EPS estimate to $9.35 from $9.40, signaling limited longer-term earnings pressure despite the improved 2026 outlook.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 transaction of $266,039.92. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have acquired 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $283.58 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The company has a market capitalization of $79.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.89. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $268.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.38.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.39 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

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.