Virtu Financial LLC Makes New Investment in Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 131,924 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,476,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Ecopetrol during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecopetrol by 258.6% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,697 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,945 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Ecopetrol by 58.2% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,402 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 2,355 shares in the last quarter. MQS Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecopetrol in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ecopetrol in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $141,000.

Ecopetrol Stock Performance

Shares of EC opened at $9.30 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $19.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 1.20. The company’s fifty day moving average is $10.18 and its 200-day moving average is $11.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. Ecopetrol S.A. has a 12 month low of $8.67 and a 12 month high of $13.14.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on EC shares. Bank of America lowered shares of Ecopetrol from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. StockNews.com cut Ecopetrol from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecopetrol presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.90.

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.