Quantbot Technologies LP Buys 144,446 Shares of Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC)

Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its position in shares of Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC) by 48,309.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 144,745 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 144,446 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Ecopetrol were worth $1,146,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EC. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecopetrol by 317.5% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 4,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 3,638 shares in the last quarter. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Ecopetrol in the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Ecopetrol by 33.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,480 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 2,128 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecopetrol in the fourth quarter valued at about $86,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Ecopetrol by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 10,978 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 1,271 shares in the last quarter.

Ecopetrol Price Performance

Shares of Ecopetrol stock opened at $10.31 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $9.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $8.75. Ecopetrol S.A. has a one year low of $7.21 and a one year high of $12.90. The stock has a market cap of $21.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.68.

Ecopetrol Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a — dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.5202 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a dividend yield of 30%. This is an increase from Ecopetrol’s previous — dividend of $0.49. Ecopetrol’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on EC. StockNews.com cut shares of Ecopetrol from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecopetrol from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $7.50 to $9.50 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Ecopetrol from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $9.00 to $14.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.00.

About Ecopetrol

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.