Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Buys 177,496 Shares of Geopark Ltd $GPRK

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Geopark Ltd by 94.2%, acquiring an additional 177,496 shares during the first quarter, bringing their total ownership to approximately 0.71% of the company.
• Geopark announced a quarterly dividend of $0.147 per share, yielding 9.8%, with a dividend payout ratio of 71.08%.
• Research analysts have given Geopark a consensus rating of "Buy" with a price target of $11.00, signaling positive expectations for the stock.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Geopark Ltd (NYSE:GPRK - Free Report) by 94.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 365,825 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after buying an additional 177,496 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned about 0.71% of Geopark worth $2,956,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Geopark by 139.9% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 594,154 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,801,000 after buying an additional 346,521 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Geopark by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 359,919 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,908,000 after buying an additional 13,999 shares in the last quarter. Militia Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in Geopark by 37.2% during the 1st quarter. Militia Capital Partners LP now owns 290,447 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,347,000 after buying an additional 78,724 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Geopark by 115.2% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 284,962 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,302,000 after buying an additional 152,520 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Geopark by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 174,331 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,409,000 after buying an additional 12,711 shares in the last quarter. 68.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GPRK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Santander began coverage on shares of Geopark in a report on Friday, August 29th. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Geopark from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $11.00.

Geopark Price Performance

Shares of GPRK stock traded up $0.14 on Tuesday, reaching $6.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 181,331 shares, compared to its average volume of 863,961. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $6.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $6.85. Geopark Ltd has a 1 year low of $5.66 and a 1 year high of $11.72. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.92. The company has a market capitalization of $317.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.48 and a beta of 0.83.

Geopark (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The oil and gas company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $119.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $123.00 million. Geopark had a return on equity of 35.65% and a net margin of 7.70%. Analysts forecast that Geopark Ltd will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Geopark Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 19th were given a $0.147 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 19th. This represents a $0.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.5%. Geopark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.08%.

Geopark 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.