Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Ecovyst Inc. (NYSE:ECVT) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $10.63 and last traded at $10.6150, with a volume of 1005405 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $10.50.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Ecovyst from $14.00 to $11.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 28th. BWS Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $12.00 price target on shares of Ecovyst in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Citigroup increased their price target on Ecovyst from $8.50 to $10.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ecovyst from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, December 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Ecovyst in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $11.60.

Ecovyst Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 2.07 and a current ratio of 2.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a PE ratio of -11.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s 50 day moving average is $9.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.85.

Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.02). Ecovyst had a negative net margin of 14.34% and a positive return on equity of 8.93%. The firm had revenue of $204.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $204.74 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ecovyst Inc. will post 0.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecovyst

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecovyst by 938.0% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 331,184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,222,000 after acquiring an additional 299,278 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Ecovyst by 21.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 361,359 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,166,000 after purchasing an additional 62,994 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecovyst during the third quarter valued at approximately $109,000. PharVision Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecovyst during the third quarter valued at $101,000. Finally, Prelude Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecovyst in the third quarter worth approximately $185,000. 86.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecovyst Company Profile

Ecovyst Inc is a global specialty chemicals company that develops, manufactures and markets performance-enhancing products for industrial applications. The company’s core offerings include catalysts, phosphorus-based additives and barium carbonate materials, all designed to improve process efficiency, product quality and environmental performance. Ecovyst serves a diverse customer base in the energy, refining, chemical, polymer, food and consumer goods industries.

The company’s Catalysts segment supplies fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) and hydroprocessing catalysts that help petroleum refiners maximize fuel yield, reduce sulfur emissions and meet increasingly stringent environmental standards.