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 report released on Friday morning.

GeoPark Price Performance

NYSE GPRK opened at $8.23 on Friday. 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 has a 12 month low of $7.24 and a 12 month high of $11.72. The stock has a market cap of $420.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 1.37. The company’s 50 day moving average is $9.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.88.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 5th. The oil and gas company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $141.00 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that GeoPark will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current year.

GeoPark Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 7.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 19th. GeoPark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.22%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPRK. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in GeoPark during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Investment Counsel Co. of Nevada bought a new position in shares of GeoPark during the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of GeoPark during the fourth quarter valued at about $50,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of GeoPark by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,142 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of GeoPark by 392.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,974 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 7,151 shares in the last quarter. 68.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.