Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Trims Holdings in VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 925,948 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 36,876 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in VAALCO Energy were worth $4,046,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of EGY. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in VAALCO Energy by 8.3% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 107,623 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $618,000 after acquiring an additional 8,209 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in VAALCO Energy in the third quarter worth about $173,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in VAALCO Energy by 115.4% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 26,500 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $152,000 after buying an additional 14,200 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in VAALCO Energy by 33.3% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 54,543 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $313,000 after buying an additional 13,616 shares during the period. Finally, ClearAlpha Technologies LP bought a new stake in VAALCO Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $277,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded VAALCO Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th.

VAALCO Energy Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE:EGY opened at $3.86 on Thursday. VAALCO Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $3.57 and a 1-year high of $7.51. The company has a market capitalization of $399.93 million, a PE ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $4.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.32.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 13th. The energy company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.02. VAALCO Energy had a return on equity of 15.63% and a net margin of 17.93%. The business had revenue of $121.72 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $108.91 million. On average, equities analysts predict that VAALCO Energy, Inc. will post 0.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

VAALCO Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.49%. VAALCO Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at VAALCO Energy

In related news, COO Thor Pruckl sold 10,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.95, for a total transaction of $40,167.55. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 174,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $691,218.40. This represents a 5.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About VAALCO Energy

VAALCO Energy, Inc, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in Gabon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, and Canada. The company holds 58.8% interest in the Etame production sharing contract related to the Etame Marin block covering an area of approximately 46,200 gross acres located offshore in the Republic of Gabon in West Africa.