Traders Purchase Large Volume of GeoPark Call Options (NYSE:GPRK)

GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 2,044 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 3,550% compared to the average volume of 56 call options.

GeoPark Price Performance

GPRK stock traded up $0.97 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $11.38. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 362,814 shares, compared to its average volume of 397,509. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53. The company’s 50 day moving average is $8.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.19. GeoPark has a fifty-two week low of $7.24 and a fifty-two week high of $11.39. The stock has a market cap of $582.20 million, a PE ratio of 5.78 and a beta of 1.37.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $159.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.99 million. GeoPark had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 57.93%. Equities research analysts expect that GeoPark will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

GeoPark Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.147 per share. This represents a $0.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. GeoPark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.95%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GeoPark

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GPRK. Barclays PLC grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 7,151 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of GeoPark during the third quarter worth approximately $44,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $627,000 after purchasing an additional 32,131 shares in the last quarter. 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. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of GeoPark during the third quarter worth $294,000. 68.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on GeoPark from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com upgraded GeoPark from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday.

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.