Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC) Shares Acquired by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC - Free Report) by 172.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 370,555 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 234,459 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP's holdings in Ecopetrol were worth $2,935,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Ecopetrol Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of EC stock traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $8.08. The stock had a trading volume of 1,423,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,384,513. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.38. Ecopetrol S.A. has a 12-month low of $7.21 and a 12-month high of $12.67. The firm's 50-day moving average is $9.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.79.

Ecopetrol Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be issued a $0.5202 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 34.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 28th. Ecopetrol's dividend payout ratio is currently 72.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup upgraded Ecopetrol from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $9.00 to $14.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ecopetrol from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ecopetrol from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $7.50 to $9.50 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $11.00.

Ecopetrol Company Profile

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.