GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

Shares of GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK) gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $9.70, but opened at $10.56. GeoPark shares last traded at $10.33, with a volume of 506,947 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on GPRK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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 shares of GeoPark from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday.

GeoPark Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $572.48 million, a PE ratio of 5.68 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $8.39 and a 200-day moving average of $9.20.

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

GeoPark Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $0.147 per share. This represents a $0.59 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. GeoPark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.95%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GeoPark

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GPRK. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in GeoPark in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of GeoPark in the 3rd quarter valued at about $294,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of GeoPark during the 2nd quarter worth about $460,000. Deltec Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in GeoPark by 997.3% during the third quarter. Deltec Asset Management LLC now owns 131,678 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,036,000 after purchasing an additional 119,678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its holdings in GeoPark by 61.7% in the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 216,084 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,701,000 after purchasing an additional 82,459 shares in the last quarter. 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.