GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,010,000 shares, an increase of 33.5% from the December 31st total of 756,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 520,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days. Approximately 2.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GeoPark

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GPRK. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new stake in GeoPark in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new stake in shares of GeoPark in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,834,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of GeoPark by 77.4% during 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 purchasing an additional 159,861 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in GeoPark by 392.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,974 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 7,151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in GeoPark during the third quarter worth about $294,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.21% of the company’s stock.

GeoPark Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GPRK traded down $0.35 on Friday, hitting $9.15. 527,623 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 819,627. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $10.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $9.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $467.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.28. GeoPark has a one year low of $7.24 and a one year high of $11.72.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.11). GeoPark had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 57.93%. The firm had revenue of $159.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $156.99 million. Research analysts expect that GeoPark will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current year.

GeoPark Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were given a $0.147 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $0.59 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.43%. GeoPark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on GPRK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of GeoPark from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com lowered GeoPark from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday.

About GeoPark

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.