Quantbot Technologies LP Purchases 144,446 Shares of Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC)

Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in Ecopetrol S.A. (NYSE:EC - Free Report) by 48,309.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 144,745 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 144,446 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP's holdings in Ecopetrol were worth $1,146,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in EC. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in Ecopetrol by 317.5% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 4,784 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 3,638 shares in the last quarter. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Ecopetrol during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ecopetrol by 33.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,480 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 2,128 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecopetrol in the fourth quarter valued at about $86,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 1,271 shares in the last quarter.

Ecopetrol Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE EC traded down $0.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $10.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,757,050 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,289,706. Ecopetrol S.A. has a one year low of $7.21 and a one year high of $12.90. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $9.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $8.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market cap of $21.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.22.

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Ecopetrol Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a -- dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.5202 per share. This represents a yield of 30%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This is a positive change from Ecopetrol's previous -- dividend of $0.49. Ecopetrol's payout ratio is currently 91.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EC has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecopetrol from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $7.50 to $9.50 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup raised shares of Ecopetrol from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $9.00 to $14.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Ecopetrol from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecopetrol has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.