In the latest close session, Ecopetrol (EC) was down 1.44% at $8.88. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 0.49%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 0.38%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 0.72%.
The oil and natural gas exploration company's shares have seen an increase of 1.24% over the last month, not keeping up with the Oils-Energy sector's gain of 3.95% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.99%.
The upcoming earnings release of Ecopetrol will be of great interest to investors. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $0.39, marking a 9.3% fall compared to the same quarter of the previous year. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $6.83 billion, reflecting a 19.07% fall from the equivalent quarter last year.
For the annual period, the Zacks Consensus Estimates anticipate earnings of $1.35 per share and a revenue of $28.27 billion, signifying shifts of -18.67% and -13.68%, respectively, from the last year.
It's also important for investors to be aware of any recent modifications to analyst estimates for Ecopetrol. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system.
Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant within the past month. Ecopetrol currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Investors should also note Ecopetrol's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 6.66. This signifies a discount in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 10.83 for its industry.
The Oil and Gas - Integrated - International industry is part of the Oils-Energy sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 102, this industry ranks in the top 42% of all industries, numbering over 250.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.
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Ecopetrol S.A. (EC): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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