GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Cut to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday.

Separately, 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.

GeoPark Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GPRK opened at $10.92 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $558.44 million, a P/E ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 1.37. The business has a 50-day moving average of $8.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.25. GeoPark has a fifty-two week low of $7.24 and a fifty-two week high of $11.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.23.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) last announced its 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 return on equity of 57.93% and a net margin of 14.97%. The company had revenue of $159.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $156.99 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that GeoPark will post 2.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GeoPark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were paid a dividend of $0.147 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $0.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.39%. GeoPark’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.44%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GeoPark

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Trust Inc. bought a new stake in GeoPark in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of GeoPark in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $294,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted 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 buying an additional 159,861 shares during the period. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP acquired a new stake in GeoPark in the 2nd quarter valued at $460,000. Finally, Deltec Asset Management LLC grew its position in GeoPark by 997.3% in the third quarter. Deltec Asset Management LLC now owns 131,678 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,036,000 after acquiring an additional 119,678 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.21% of the company’s stock.

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.