GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 767,700 shares, a growth of 81.7% from the May 31st total of 422,500 shares. Approximately 2.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 502,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days.

GeoPark Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE GPRK traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $10.95. The company had a trading volume of 381,951 shares, compared to its average volume of 450,601. The company has a market capitalization of $605.84 million, a PE ratio of 5.37 and a beta of 1.37. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.47. GeoPark has a one year low of $8.05 and a one year high of $11.25.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 15th. The oil and gas company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $167.42 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $192.63 million. GeoPark had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 67.81%. On average, equities analysts expect that GeoPark will post 3.23 EPS for the current year.

GeoPark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st were issued a dividend of $0.147 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $0.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.37%. This is a boost from GeoPark’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. GeoPark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on GPRK shares. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 price objective on shares of GeoPark in a research note on Friday, April 12th. StockNews.com raised GeoPark from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $13.17.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GeoPark

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in GeoPark during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. NBC Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of GeoPark by 480.0% in the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 5,800 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 4,800 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP raised its position in shares of GeoPark by 21.3% in the third quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 41,402 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $426,000 after buying an additional 7,281 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its position in shares of GeoPark by 59.1% in the fourth quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 27,260 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 10,125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd raised its position in shares of GeoPark by 146.7% in the fourth quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 27,798 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $238,000 after buying an additional 16,532 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.21% of the company’s stock.

GeoPark Company Profile

GeoPark Limited engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas reserves in Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Ecuador. GeoPark Limited has a strategic partnership with ONGC Videsh to jointly acquire, invest in, and create value from upstream oil and gas projects across Latin America.