VAALCO Energy Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:EGY)

VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Traders purchased 6,034 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 924% compared to the typical volume of 589 call options.

VAALCO Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

EGY opened at $4.08 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $4.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.34. The firm has a market cap of $428.26 million, a PE ratio of 4.79 and a beta of 1.16. VAALCO Energy has a twelve month low of $3.57 and a twelve month high of $7.51.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 13th. The energy company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.02. VAALCO Energy had a net margin of 17.93% and a return on equity of 15.63%. The firm had revenue of $121.72 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $108.91 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that VAALCO Energy will post 0.43 EPS for the current year.

VAALCO Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.13%. VAALCO Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of VAALCO Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th.

Institutional Trading of VAALCO Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EGY. Zacks Investment Management lifted its stake in VAALCO Energy by 19.6% in the 3rd quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 15,419 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 2,527 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in VAALCO Energy by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 59,794 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $261,000 after acquiring an additional 2,584 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC increased its position in VAALCO Energy by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 294,929 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,289,000 after acquiring an additional 2,875 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in VAALCO Energy by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 55,639 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 3,142 shares during the period. Finally, Catalina Capital Group LLC increased its position in VAALCO Energy by 19.5% in the 4th quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 20,334 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 3,315 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 50.32% of the company’s stock.

About VAALCO Energy

VAALCO Energy, Inc, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in Gabon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, and Canada. The company holds 58.8% interest in the Etame production sharing contract related to the Etame Marin block covering an area of approximately 46,200 gross acres located offshore in the Republic of Gabon in West Africa.