GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Upgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning.

GeoPark Trading Up 5.2 %

GPRK stock opened at $8.23 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $9.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $8.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53. GeoPark has a 52-week low of $7.24 and a 52-week high of $11.72. The firm has a market cap of $420.82 million, a P/E ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 1.37.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The oil and gas company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.73 by ($0.43). GeoPark had a return on equity of 57.93% and a net margin of 14.97%. The firm had revenue of $143.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $141.00 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that GeoPark will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GeoPark Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 19th will be paid a $0.147 dividend. This represents a $0.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.15%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 19th. GeoPark’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GeoPark

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GPRK. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in GeoPark by 77.4% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 366,380 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,883,000 after buying an additional 159,861 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in GeoPark in the 3rd quarter worth about $294,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new stake in GeoPark in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,834,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its holdings in GeoPark by 67.6% in the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 79,674 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $627,000 after buying an additional 32,131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in GeoPark in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. 68.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.