Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) Reaches New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $7.96 and last traded at $8.08, with a volume of 3546179 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $8.30.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup raised Ecopetrol from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $9.00 to $14.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecopetrol from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $7.50 to $9.50 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Ecopetrol from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $11.00.

Ecopetrol Trading Up 0.4 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.68. The stock has a market cap of $16.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.82. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $9.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.79.

Ecopetrol Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be given a dividend of $0.5202 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 28th. This represents a yield of 34.2%. Ecopetrol's payout ratio is 72.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecopetrol by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 39,301 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $351,000 after purchasing an additional 6,222 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecopetrol by 232.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 15,673 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $124,000 after acquiring an additional 10,965 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecopetrol in the fourth quarter worth $123,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Ecopetrol during the 4th quarter valued at $86,000. Finally, B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ecopetrol in the 4th quarter valued at $104,000.

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.