Should I Buy EP? EP 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Empire Petroleum Corp (EP) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

2.850

1 Day change

-1.04%

52 Week Range

6.900

Analysis Updated At

2026/01/28

EP is not a good buy right now for a beginner, long-term investor who wants to deploy capital quickly. The stock is in a clear downtrend (bearish moving averages and weakening MACD), fundamentals show deteriorating revenue and severely compressed gross margin in 2025/Q3, and there are no near-term news catalysts or bullish proprietary signals to justify an immediate long-term entry. Best decision today: hold off (avoid initiating a new position).

Technical Analysis

Price/Trend: Bearish. The moving averages are stacked bearishly (SMA_200 > SMA_20 > SMA_5), which typically signals a sustained downtrend rather than a temporary pullback. Momentum: MACD histogram is negative (-0.00962) and negatively expanding, implying downside momentum is strengthening. RSI: RSI_6 at 37.5 is weak and approaching oversold, but not showing a clear reversal signal. Key levels: Pivot 3.098 is above the current post-market price (~2.88), so price is trading below its pivot (bearish). Immediate support is S1 2.867 (very close); if it fails, next support is S2 2.724. Resistance levels sit at R1 3.329 and R2 3.472, meaning there is overhead resistance if price attempts to bounce. Pattern-based forward odds: Similar-candlestick model suggests modest upside probabilities (about +4.93% over the next month), but the dominant technical structure remains bearish. **Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals** - [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): no signal on given stock today. - [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock recently.

Options Data

Positive Catalysts

Upcoming earnings (2026-02-16 after hours) could act as an event-driven catalyst if results or guidance surprise positively.
Price is sitting near support (S1 ~2.867); a technical bounce is possible if support holds.
No notable negative hedge fund or insider trend signals (both listed as Neutral), which removes one potential bearish pressure source.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Strong bearish trend structure (SMA_200 > SMA_20 > SMA_5) and MACD downside acceleration.
Recent trading action is weak (regular market -2.04%, pre-market indicated -4.08%), showing sellers still in control.
No news in the recent week—no obvious positive catalyst supporting a near-term re-rating.
No recent congress trading data available, and no indication of politician/influential-figure buying support.

Financial Performance

Latest quarter: 2025/Q3. Revenue: $9.39M, down -13.93% YoY (top-line contraction). Net income: -$3.84M (still a loss), improved 5.62% YoY but remains negative. EPS: -0.11, down -8.33% YoY (worsening per-share results). Gross margin: 1.11, down -79.60% YoY (major deterioration in profitability quality). Overall: The quarter shows weakening revenue and sharply lower margin, with continued losses—this is not the type of growth/quality profile that typically fits a beginner-friendly long-term buy-and-hold right now.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

No analyst rating or price target change data was provided, so a recent Wall Street rating/target trend cannot be confirmed. Pros (typical bull case, not confirmed by provided analyst data): small-cap energy names can re-rate quickly on improved margins/production or better guidance. Cons (supported by provided data): declining revenue, margin collapse, ongoing losses, and a bearish chart reduce the case for an immediate long-term buy.

Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast EP stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for EP is 0 USD with a low forecast of 0 USD and a high forecast of 0 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

Buy

Hold

Sell

Current: 2.880

Low

Averages

High