GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Downgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report released on Monday morning.

Separately, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a buy rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of GeoPark in a research note on Friday, April 12th.

GeoPark Price Performance

GeoPark stock opened at $9.10 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $10.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.65. The firm has a market cap of $503.21 million, a PE ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.47. GeoPark has a 52-week low of $8.05 and a 52-week 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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.05). GeoPark had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 67.81%. The company had revenue of $167.42 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $192.63 million. On average, research analysts expect that GeoPark will post 3.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GeoPark Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st were given a dividend of $0.147 per share. This is a boost from GeoPark’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. This represents a $0.59 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. GeoPark’s payout ratio is 28.43%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GeoPark

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of GPRK. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of GeoPark by 3,251.7% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 379,483 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,139,000 after acquiring an additional 368,161 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in GeoPark in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,261,000. Carmignac Gestion increased its stake in GeoPark by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Carmignac Gestion now owns 1,118,884 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $9,589,000 after purchasing an additional 120,000 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new stake in GeoPark during the fourth quarter worth approximately $689,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its position in shares of GeoPark by 67.8% during the 1st quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 148,060 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,421,000 after buying an additional 59,834 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.