GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Friday morning.

GeoPark Trading Up 5.2 %

GPRK opened at $8.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $9.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.89. GeoPark has a 1-year low of $7.24 and a 1-year high of $11.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $420.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 1.37.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The oil and gas company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.73 by ($0.43). The firm had revenue of $143.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $141.00 million. GeoPark had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 57.93%. Analysts expect that GeoPark will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GeoPark Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 19th will be given a dividend of $0.147 per share. This represents a $0.59 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 19th. GeoPark’s payout ratio is presently 32.22%.

Institutional Trading of GeoPark

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new stake in shares of GeoPark during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,834,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised 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 valued at $2,883,000 after buying an additional 159,861 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its position in GeoPark by 392.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,974 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 7,151 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in GeoPark in the third quarter valued at approximately $294,000. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC raised its position in GeoPark by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 161,620 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,498,000 after purchasing an additional 32,870 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.21% of the company’s stock.

GeoPark Company Profile

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.