American Century Companies Inc. Boosts Stake in Ecovyst Inc. $ECVT

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Ecovyst Inc. by 39.6%, bringing its ownership to approximately 0.32% with a value of $2.35 million.
• Several other institutional investors, including Versant Capital Management Inc. and GAMMA Investing LLC, also significantly increased their investments in Ecovyst during the first quarter.
• Analysts have currently issued a consensus rating of Buy for Ecovyst, with an average target price of $10.00, reflecting positive sentiment towards the stock's performance.

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ecovyst Inc. (NYSE:ECVT - Free Report) by 39.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 379,907 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 107,761 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.32% of Ecovyst worth $2,355,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Ecovyst by 200.7% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 5,227 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 3,489 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecovyst by 11,312.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,592 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 5,543 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP purchased a new position in shares of Ecovyst during the 1st quarter valued at $73,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of Ecovyst during the 1st quarter valued at $78,000. Finally, Deerfield Management Company L.P. Series C purchased a new position in shares of Ecovyst during the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.69% of the company's stock.

Ecovyst Trading Up 0.8%

Ecovyst stock traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $8.93. The stock had a trading volume of 541,224 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,210,056. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 2.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Ecovyst Inc. has a 52-week low of $5.24 and a 52-week high of $9.31. The firm has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -74.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a fifty day moving average of $8.71 and a 200 day moving average of $7.56.

Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.12. Ecovyst had a negative net margin of 1.91% and a positive return on equity of 7.69%. The company had revenue of $200.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $204.27 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.12 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. Ecovyst has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.520-0.680 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Ecovyst Inc. will post 0.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ecovyst from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 16th. BWS Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $12.00 price target on shares of Ecovyst in a report on Monday, August 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecovyst currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $10.00.

About Ecovyst

Ecovyst Inc offers specialty catalysts and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Ecoservices and Advanced Materials & Catalysts. The Ecoservices segment provides sulfuric acid recycling services and end-to-end logistics for production of alkylate for refineries; and virgin sulfuric acid for mining, water treatment, and industrial applications.