Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC) Receives $10.35 Average Target Price from Analysts

Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC) has received a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the five ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $10.35.

Several analysts have weighed in on EC shares. HSBC raised shares of Ecopetrol to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings raised Ecopetrol from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Bradesco Corretora set a $12.00 price target on Ecopetrol and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Ecopetrol from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, March 22nd.

Ecopetrol Stock Down 4.2%

Shares of NYSE EC opened at $13.52 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $27.79 billion, a PE ratio of 11.36 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a fifty day moving average of $13.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.27. Ecopetrol has a 52-week low of $7.80 and a 52-week high of $15.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.55.

Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) last posted its earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The oil and gas company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $7.64 billion for the quarter. Ecopetrol had a net margin of 7.64% and a return on equity of 10.89%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ecopetrol will post 1.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecopetrol Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be paid a $0.6612 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. This represents a dividend yield of 436.0%. Ecopetrol’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 86.55%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EC. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Ecopetrol during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecopetrol by 301.3% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 2,568 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,928 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecopetrol by 221.4% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,898 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 2,685 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecopetrol in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in Ecopetrol in the 4th quarter worth approximately $88,000.

Ecopetrol Company Profile

Ecopetrol SA (NYSE: EC) is Colombia’s state-controlled integrated oil and gas company and the country’s largest oil producer. The company’s operations span the upstream, midstream and downstream segments of the hydrocarbon value chain, including exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas, refining of petroleum products, transportation and storage via pipeline networks, and the marketing and sale of fuels and petrochemical feedstocks. Ecopetrol serves domestic demand in Colombia and maintains a portfolio of international investments and partnerships across the Americas.

In upstream activities, Ecopetrol focuses on exploration and development of onshore and offshore fields to sustain and grow hydrocarbon production.