GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Stock Price Up 9% – Here’s Why

Shares of GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK) traded up 9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $10.19 and last traded at $10.10. 341,095 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 20% from the average session volume of 427,433 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.27.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GPRK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com cut GeoPark from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on GeoPark from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th.

GeoPark Trading Up 7.9 %

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.16. The company has a market capitalization of $511.63 million, a PE ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.11). GeoPark had a return on equity of 57.93% and a net margin of 14.97%. The firm had revenue of $159.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.99 million. Analysts predict that GeoPark Limited will post 2.56 EPS for the current year.

GeoPark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were issued a $0.147 dividend. This represents a $0.59 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. GeoPark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.44%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of GeoPark by 3,251.7% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 379,483 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,139,000 after acquiring an additional 368,161 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new position in GeoPark in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,834,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new stake in GeoPark during the second quarter worth $2,929,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in GeoPark in the second quarter valued at $2,261,000. Finally, Deltec Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of GeoPark by 997.3% in the third quarter. Deltec Asset Management LLC now owns 131,678 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,036,000 after buying an additional 119,678 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.21% of the company’s stock.

GeoPark Company Profile

GeoPark Limited operates as an oil and natural gas exploration and production company primarily in Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and other Latin American countries. It engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas reserves. The company was formerly known as GeoPark Holdings Limited and changed its name to GeoPark Limited in July 2013.