Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.07 EPS

Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT) released its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.07, FiscalAI reports. Ecovyst had a negative net margin of 9.27% and a positive return on equity of 9.17%. The firm had revenue of $199.43 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $184.85 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.28 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 33.9% on a year-over-year basis. Ecovyst updated its FY 2026 guidance to 0.450-0.650 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Ecovyst’s conference call:

• Strong 2025 performance and balance sheet — Ecovyst delivered full‑year Adjusted EBITDA of $172 million, generated $78 million of free cash flow, and finished the year with net leverage of 1.2x and roughly $265 million of available liquidity.
• Transformative divestiture completed — The company sold the Advanced Materials & Catalysts segment for $556 million and used $465 million of proceeds to pay down the term loan, refocusing Ecovyst on its sulfur solutions business.
• Demand and growth positioning for 2026 — Management expects higher volumes for both virgin and regenerated sulfuric acid (mining-driven growth and less refinery downtime), and the May Waggaman acquisition (~10% incremental volume) plus a ~$20 million Gulf Coast storage/rail investment should improve supply flexibility and access to mining customers.
• Material cost and near-term margin pressures — Sulfur costs are expected to rise materially with an estimated pass‑through impact of ~$125 million in 2026, turnarounds are forecasted to increase costs by ~$80 million, and capex is being raised, which together compress near‑term free cash flow and margins despite pass‑through treatment.
• Active capital allocation strategy — With reduced leverage and cash generation, Ecovyst is pursuing a mix of organic investments, accretive bolt‑on M&A, and share repurchases (≈$50M repurchased in 2025, $25–$40M planned in Q1 2026, and ≈$183M remaining authorization), signaling continued shareholder returns.

Ecovyst Price Performance

NYSE ECVT opened at $11.29 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a PE ratio of -18.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.20. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $10.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 2.07 and a current ratio of 2.25. Ecovyst has a 52-week low of $5.24 and a 52-week high of $12.33.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ECVT. KeyCorp increased their price target on Ecovyst from $11.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup upped their price objective on Ecovyst from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. BWS Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $12.00 target price on shares of Ecovyst in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Ecovyst in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ecovyst from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $12.60.

Key Stories Impacting Ecovyst

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecovyst this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — Ecovyst reported $0.28 EPS (vs. $0.21 consensus) and $199.4M revenue, up ~34% YoY, demonstrating stronger-than-expected top-line momentum. Ecovyst Q4 results (MarketBeat)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade — KeyCorp raised its price target to $14 and moved to an “overweight” rating, signaling institutional confidence in upside potential. Benzinga: KeyCorp raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: Strong revenue guide — Management set FY‑2026 revenue guidance of $860M–$940M, well above street revenue expectations, suggesting continued sales strength. Seeking Alpha: 2026 sales target
• Neutral Sentiment: Management emphasis on balance-sheet strengthening and mining/capital allocation growth initiatives — strategic positives but will take time to translate into cash/returns. Seeking Alpha: strategy and balance sheet
• Neutral Sentiment: Full transcripts and slides released — useful for investors wanting detail on product mix, pricing and segment trends but not an immediate catalyst by themselves. Earnings call transcript (Seeking Alpha)
• Negative Sentiment: EPS guidance is conservative — FY‑2026 EPS of $0.45–$0.65 compares to a consensus ~$0.58; the range’s midpoint is slightly below consensus, which can temper enthusiasm despite strong revenue guidance. PR Newswire: Q4 & FY2025 results and guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability and leverage remain concerns — the company reported a negative net margin and carries leverage (reported debt/equity ~1.39), which could limit near-term free cash flow and investor sentiment until margin improvement is evident. MarketBeat: earnings details

Institutional Trading of Ecovyst

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of Ecovyst by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 28,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 1,311 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in Ecovyst by 4.3% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 51,292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $449,000 after purchasing an additional 2,124 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Ecovyst by 4.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 69,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $428,000 after purchasing an additional 2,874 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of Ecovyst by 8.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 45,069 shares of the company’s stock valued at $279,000 after buying an additional 3,571 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in shares of Ecovyst by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 84,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $822,000 after buying an additional 3,729 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.69% of the company’s stock.

About Ecovyst

Ecovyst Inc is a global specialty chemicals company that develops, manufactures and markets performance-enhancing products for industrial applications. The company’s core offerings include catalysts, phosphorus-based additives and barium carbonate materials, all designed to improve process efficiency, product quality and environmental performance. Ecovyst serves a diverse customer base in the energy, refining, chemical, polymer, food and consumer goods industries.

The company’s Catalysts segment supplies fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) and hydroprocessing catalysts that help petroleum refiners maximize fuel yield, reduce sulfur emissions and meet increasingly stringent environmental standards.