Ecopetrol Takes Full Control of Southern Caribbean Offshore Gas Blocks

The latest update is out from Ecopetrol SA ( (EC) ).

On December 22, 2025, Ecopetrol S.A. announced that Colombia’s National Hydrocarbons Agency has formalized the transfer of Shell EP Offshore Venture’s 50% stake and operatorship in the COL 5, Purple Angel and Fuerte Sur offshore contracts in the southern Caribbean, giving Ecopetrol full ownership of the rights, interests and obligations in these exploration and production blocks. The company said it will continue advancing the development of existing gas discoveries in these areas—such as Kronos-1, Purple Angel, Gorgon-1, Gorgon-2 ST2 and Glaucus-1—by moving toward the project development phase, including planning an onshore gas evacuation route, integrating with the national gas transportation system and shaping the necessary regulatory and commercialization frameworks. Ecopetrol will also assess whether to retain 100% of the assets or bring in a strategic partner to add technical expertise and financial support, a decision that could influence capital allocation and risk-sharing for these offshore projects. The move underscores Ecopetrol’s strategy to bolster Colombia’s future natural gas supply and reinforces its positioning of gas as a key complementary fuel in the country’s broader energy transition efforts.

The most recent analyst rating on (EC) stock is a Hold with a $8.70 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Ecopetrol SA stock, see the EC Stock Forecast page.

Spark’s Take on EC Stock

According to Spark, TipRanks’ AI Analyst, EC is a Outperform.

Ecopetrol’s overall stock score is driven by strong technical indicators and attractive valuation, despite financial challenges and high leverage. The positive sentiment from the earnings call further supports the stock’s potential, although caution is advised due to overbought technical signals.

To see Spark’s full report on EC stock, click here.

More about Ecopetrol SA

Ecopetrol S.A. is Colombia’s largest company and one of the main integrated energy groups in the Americas, with more than 19,000 employees. It accounts for over 60% of Colombia’s hydrocarbon production and controls much of the country’s transportation, logistics and refining systems, while also holding leading positions in petrochemicals and gas distribution. Through its majority stake in ISA, Ecopetrol is active in electric power transmission, real-time system management and road concessions in Colombia and other Latin American markets, and it also operates exploration and production assets in the United States, Brazil and Mexico.

Average Trading Volume: 2,077,044

Technical Sentiment Signal: Strong Buy

Current Market Cap: $19.98B

For detailed information about EC stock, go to TipRanks’ Stock Analysis page.