XTX Topco Ltd Invests $317,000 in Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC)

XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 40,004 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $317,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecopetrol by 317.5% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 4,784 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 3,638 shares during the last quarter. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Ecopetrol during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ecopetrol by 33.5% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,480 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 2,128 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecopetrol during the 4th quarter worth about $86,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecopetrol by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 10,978 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 1,271 shares during the last quarter.

Ecopetrol Trading Down 2.7 %

NYSE:EC traded down $0.22 on Wednesday, hitting $8.08. 3,546,835 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,388,160. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.86. Ecopetrol S.A. has a 52 week low of $7.21 and a 52 week high of $12.67. 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 company's 50-day moving average price is $9.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.79.

Ecopetrol Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be given a dividend of $0.5202 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 34.2%. Ecopetrol's payout ratio is currently 79.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Ecopetrol 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.