Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT) Stock Gets Downgrade from Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Ecovyst from “buy” to “hold,” while the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $14.62.
• Ecovyst shares opened at $10.10, compared with a 12-month range of $7.41 to $15.09. The company recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $0.21 in EPS and $249.96 million in revenue.
• Director Patti Humble purchased nearly 24,875 shares worth about $250,000, while institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 86.69% of Ecovyst’s stock.

Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Sunday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Ecovyst in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. BWS Financial restated a "buy" rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of Ecovyst in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of Ecovyst in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $14.62.

Ecovyst Stock Performance

Shares of ECVT stock opened at $10.10 on Friday. Ecovyst has a 12-month low of $7.41 and a 12-month high of $15.09. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.05.

Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.02. Ecovyst had a negative net margin of 7.05% and a positive return on equity of 13.83%. The firm had revenue of $249.96 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $237.54 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.12 earnings per share. Ecovyst's revenue was up 24.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecovyst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.720 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecovyst will post 0.60 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Ecovyst

In other news, Director Patti Humble bought 24,875 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $10.05 per share, with a total value of $249,993.75. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 33,974 shares in the company, valued at approximately $341,438.70. This trade represents a 273.38% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.84% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecovyst

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ECVT. Brooklands Fund Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Ecovyst during the third quarter valued at about $246,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecovyst by 7.8% during the third quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 34,591 shares of the company's stock worth $340,000 after purchasing an additional 2,507 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecovyst by 18.1% during the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 64,768 shares of the company's stock worth $637,000 after purchasing an additional 9,931 shares during the period. Seven Mile Advisory purchased a new position in Ecovyst during the third quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Ecovyst by 75.9% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,659 shares of the company's stock valued at $183,000 after purchasing an additional 8,053 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.69% of the company's stock.

About Ecovyst

Ecovyst Inc NYSE: ECVT is a global provider of specialty catalysts and advanced materials used in industrial and environmental applications. The company develops, manufactures and supplies products that help customers improve process efficiency, increase yields and meet emissions and sustainability requirements.

Through its Catalysts Technologies business, Ecovyst provides catalysts and related services for petroleum refining, renewable fuels, petrochemicals and other chemical processes.

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