Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC) Receives Average Rating of “Strong Sell” from Analysts

Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC) has received a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and two have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $10.90.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America lowered Ecopetrol from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ecopetrol from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th.

Ecopetrol Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of Ecopetrol stock opened at $9.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Ecopetrol has a 1-year low of $8.67 and a 1-year high of $13.14. The business has a 50-day moving average of $10.25 and a 200-day moving average of $11.15. The company has a market capitalization of $18.83 billion, a PE ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.20.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecopetrol

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GQG Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecopetrol by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 12,291,956 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $145,537,000 after acquiring an additional 105,172 shares during the period. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda purchased a new stake in Ecopetrol during the fourth quarter valued at about $15,652,000. Earnest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecopetrol by 1.2% in the first quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 510,803 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,048,000 after buying an additional 5,844 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Ecopetrol by 136.6% during the fourth quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 334,527 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,988,000 after buying an additional 193,150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ecopetrol by 6.0% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 272,126 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,045,000 after buying an additional 15,467 shares in the last quarter.

Ecopetrol Company Profile

Ecopetrol SA operates as an integrated energy company. The company operates through four segments: Exploration and Production; Transport and Logistics; Refining, Petrochemical and Biofuels; and Electric Power Transmission and Toll Roads Concessions. It engages in the exploration and production of oil and gas; transportation of crude oil, motor fuels, fuel oil, and other refined products, including diesel, jet, and biofuels; processing and refining crude oil; distribution of natural gas and LPG; sale of refined and petrochemical products; supplying of electric power transmission services; design, development, construction, operation, and maintenance of road and energy infrastructure projects; and supplying of information technology and telecommunications services.