GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Strong-Buy” Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Sunday.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on GeoPark from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

GeoPark Stock Up 3.9 %

Shares of GPRK opened at $10.54 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $9.21 and its 200 day moving average is $9.16. The company has a market capitalization of $539.26 million, a PE ratio of 5.35 and a beta of 1.35. GeoPark has a 12-month low of $7.24 and a 12-month high of $11.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $159.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $156.99 million. Research analysts expect that GeoPark will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GeoPark Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were issued a $0.147 dividend. This represents a $0.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.58%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. GeoPark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.44%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GeoPark

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GPRK. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in GeoPark during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in GeoPark during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in GeoPark during the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in GeoPark by 392.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,974 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 7,151 shares during the period. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in GeoPark during the 3rd quarter valued at $148,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.