Epsilon Energy (NASDAQ:EPSN) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Epsilon Energy has been upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" to a "buy" rating, indicating positive sentiment among analysts.
• Despite the upgrade, shares of Epsilon Energy fell by 0.6%, opening at $6.18, with a market cap of $136.08 million.
• The company reported earnings of $0.18 EPS, surpassing expectations, and experienced significant trading activity among hedge funds recently.

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Epsilon Energy (NASDAQ:EPSN - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Saturday.

Epsilon Energy Stock Up 1.9%

NASDAQ EPSN traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $6.30. 81,673 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 110,519. Epsilon Energy has a 1 year low of $4.95 and a 1 year high of $8.50. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $7.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $6.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $138.73 million, a P/E ratio of 30.00 and a beta of 0.16.

Epsilon Energy (NASDAQ:EPSN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.04. Epsilon Energy had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 5.97%. The firm had revenue of $16.16 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.71 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Epsilon Energy will post 0.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Epsilon Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. Epsilon Energy's payout ratio is presently 119.05%.

Insider Transactions at Epsilon Energy

In other Epsilon Energy news, major shareholder Solas Capital Management, Llc sold 74,427 shares of Epsilon Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.48, for a total transaction of $556,713.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 3,694,040 shares in the company, valued at $27,631,419.20. The trade was a 1.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 7.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Epsilon Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in Epsilon Energy by 23.1% during the first quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 16,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 3,047 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Epsilon Energy by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 405,763 shares of the company's stock worth $2,520,000 after acquiring an additional 4,115 shares in the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey purchased a new position in shares of Epsilon Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Mcintyre Freedman & Flynn Investment Advisers Inc. raised its stake in shares of Epsilon Energy by 6.3% during the first quarter. Mcintyre Freedman & Flynn Investment Advisers Inc. now owns 124,400 shares of the company's stock worth $878,000 after acquiring an additional 7,323 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Epsilon Energy by 8.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 98,009 shares of the company's stock worth $692,000 after acquiring an additional 7,643 shares in the last quarter. 60.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Epsilon Energy

Epsilon Energy Ltd., a North American onshore independent natural gas and oil company, engages in the acquisition, development, gathering, and production of natural oil and gas reserves in the United States. The company operates through Upstream and Gathering System segments. It has natural gas production in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania; and oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas production in the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico, and Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma.