Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR) Earns Outperform Rating from Analysts at Pickering Energy Partners

Key Points

• Pickering Energy Partners initiated coverage of Gulfport Energy with an “outperform” rating. However, the broader analyst consensus remains “hold,” with an average price target of $217.50.
• Gulfport reported quarterly EPS of $4.85, exceeding the $3.82 analyst consensus by $1.03, on revenue of $323.23 million. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $22.25.
• The stock opened at $156.21, near its 52-week low of $149.18 and below its 50- and 200-day moving averages; insider activity was mixed, with the CEO buying shares while the chief accounting officer sold stock.

Pickering Energy Partners started coverage on shares of Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR - Get Free Report) in a research report issued on Tuesday, Briefing.com reports. The firm set an "outperform" rating on the stock.

GPOR has been the subject of several other research reports. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Gulfport Energy from $190.00 to $186.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Gulfport Energy from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Zacks Research raised shares of Gulfport Energy from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Gulfport Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $251.00 to $252.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $194.00 price objective (down from $240.00) on shares of Gulfport Energy in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $217.50.

Gulfport Energy Price Performance

Gulfport Energy stock opened at $156.21 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market cap of $2.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 0.43. The business's fifty day moving average is $166.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.83. Gulfport Energy has a 52 week low of $149.18 and a 52 week high of $225.78.

Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The company reported $4.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.82 by $1.03. The company had revenue of $323.23 million during the quarter. Gulfport Energy had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 32.28%. Equities research analysts forecast that Gulfport Energy will post 22.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Matthew Willrath sold 325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.69, for a total value of $59,374.25. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,130 shares of the company's stock, valued at $389,129.70. This represents a 13.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Domenic J. Dell'osso, Jr. purchased 1,600 shares of Gulfport Energy stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $160.61 per share, for a total transaction of $256,976.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 24,349 shares in the company, valued at $3,910,692.89. The trade was a 7.03% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gulfport Energy

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Keybank National Association OH increased its stake in Gulfport Energy by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 5,881 shares of the company's stock worth $1,244,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its position in shares of Gulfport Energy by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 940 shares of the company's stock valued at $160,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Gulfport Energy by 113.3% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 160 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp increased its position in shares of Gulfport Energy by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 23,535 shares of the company's stock worth $4,895,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Gulfport Energy by 58.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 325 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter.

About Gulfport Energy

Gulfport Energy Corporation is an independent exploration and production company focused primarily on natural gas and natural gas liquids. The company develops and produces hydrocarbons from unconventional shale formations, with operations concentrated in the Appalachian Basin.

Gulfport's principal assets are located in eastern Ohio, where it holds acreage in the Utica and Marcellus shale plays. Its activities include leasing and developing mineral properties, drilling and completing horizontal wells, and producing and marketing natural gas, natural gas liquids and crude oil.

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