Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Ecovyst to “buy” from “hold,” while the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $14.62.
• Ecovyst recently exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.21 in EPS versus $0.19 expected and revenue of $249.96 million, up 24.9% year over year.
• The stock opened at $9.80, below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, while director Patti Humble purchased nearly $250,000 worth of shares—signaling insider confidence.

Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $14.00 price objective on shares of Ecovyst in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Freedom Capital raised Ecovyst to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. BWS Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of Ecovyst in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Ecovyst in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given 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 stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $14.62.

Ecovyst Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of ECVT stock opened at $9.80 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $10.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.96. Ecovyst has a 12-month low of $7.41 and a 12-month high of $15.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecovyst

In other news, Director Patti Humble acquired 24,875 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $10.05 per share, for a total transaction of $249,993.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 33,974 shares of the company's stock, valued at $341,438.70. The trade was 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 this link. 1.84% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecovyst

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ECVT. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecovyst by 701.3% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,622 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 3,170 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Ecovyst during the 2nd quarter valued at $65,000. OP Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Ecovyst in the first quarter worth approximately $77,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Ecovyst in the first quarter worth $80,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecovyst in the 1st quarter worth approximately $154,000. 86.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.