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Ecopetrol (EC) Ascends While Market Falls: Some Facts to Note

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Ecopetrol (EC - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $11.20, moving +0.54% from the previous trading session. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 0.88% for the day. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.08%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 1.95%.

Coming into today, shares of the oil and natural gas exploration company had lost 5.75% in the past month. In that same time, the Oils-Energy sector lost 12.58%, while the S&P 500 gained 5.11%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Ecopetrol in its upcoming earnings disclosure. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $0.70, marking a 55.56% rise compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $8.71 billion, up 12.42% from the year-ago period.

Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $2.54 per share and revenue of $34.11 billion. These totals would mark changes of +6.72% and +2.83%, respectively, from last year.

Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for Ecopetrol. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the company's business performance and profit potential.

Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has remained steady. Ecopetrol is currently a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

In the context of valuation, Ecopetrol is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 4.38. This signifies no noticeable deviation in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 4.38 for its industry.

Investors should also note that EC has a PEG ratio of 1.01 right now. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. The Oil and Gas - Integrated - Emerging Markets was holding an average PEG ratio of 0.59 at yesterday's closing price.

The Oil and Gas - Integrated - Emerging Markets industry is part of the Oils-Energy sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 229, placing it within the bottom 10% of over 250 industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow EC in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


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