Sanctuary Advisors LLC Invests $926,000 in Ecopetrol S.A. $EC

Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 61,765 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $926,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in Ecopetrol by 301.3% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecopetrol in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecopetrol by 221.4% during 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 buying an additional 2,685 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecopetrol during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecopetrol in the 4th quarter worth about $88,000.

Ecopetrol Stock Down 1.8%

EC stock opened at $16.04 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $32.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $15.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.86. Ecopetrol S.A. has a 1-year low of $8.27 and a 1-year high of $17.75.

Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The oil and gas company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Ecopetrol had a return on equity of 12.38% and a net margin of 8.84%. Analysts expect that Ecopetrol S.A. will post 2.05 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EC has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Ecopetrol from $13.50 to $14.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Ecopetrol from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Ecopetrol from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Zacks Research lowered Ecopetrol from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Ecopetrol from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecopetrol presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $13.14.

Ecopetrol 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.