Gulfport Energy Corporation (NYSE:GPOR) Stock Rated "Hold" by Sell-Side Analysts

Key Points

• Gulfport Energy has a consensus “Hold” rating from 16 analysts: nine holds, five buys, one strong buy and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $210.50, versus a recent share price of $154.36.
• The company exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $4.85 in EPS versus the $3.82 consensus estimate, alongside $323.23 million in revenue. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $22.25.
• Recent analyst actions have been mixed but generally cautious, including Jefferies’ downgrade to “Hold” and reduction of its target to $180, while Pickering Energy Partners initiated coverage with an “Outperform” rating.

Gulfport Energy Corporation (NYSE:GPOR - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation, five have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $210.50.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GPOR. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Gulfport Energy in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. They set a "hold" rating and a $193.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Gulfport Energy from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Gulfport Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $239.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Gulfport Energy from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Pickering Energy Partners started coverage on shares of Gulfport Energy in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock.

Gulfport Energy Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of GPOR stock opened at $154.36 on Friday. Gulfport Energy has a fifty-two week low of $149.18 and a fifty-two week high of $225.78. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $166.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $175.12. The company has a market cap of $2.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.17 and a beta of 0.56.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Gulfport Energy news, Director Timothy J. Cutt sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.98, for a total value of $397,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 27,013 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,294,526.74. This trade represents a 8.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Matthew Willrath sold 325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.69, for a total value of $59,374.25. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,130 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $389,129.70. This represents a 13.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gulfport Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of GPOR. Pinnacle Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Gulfport Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $49,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Gulfport Energy by 159.3% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 350 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Gulfport Energy in the second quarter valued at $59,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Gulfport Energy by 866.7% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 406 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its holdings in shares of Gulfport Energy by 9.3% during the second quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 940 shares of the company's stock valued at $160,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter.

Gulfport Energy Company Profile

Gulfport Energy Corporation NYSE: GPOR is an independent exploration and production company focused on developing and producing natural gas, natural gas liquids and oil. Its activities include acquiring, exploring, drilling and operating oil and gas properties.

The company's operations are concentrated in the Appalachian Basin, particularly the Utica and Marcellus shale plays in eastern Ohio. Gulfport sells the hydrocarbons produced from its wells into regional energy markets and relies on gathering and transportation infrastructure to move production to market.

Gulfport Energy traces its history to the late 1990s and has evolved from a broader domestic oil and gas producer into a company primarily focused on natural gas development in the eastern United States.

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