Squarepoint Ops LLC Purchases Shares of 113,831 VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY)

Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new stake in VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 113,831 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $497,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned about 0.11% of VAALCO Energy at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in VAALCO Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $6,515,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in VAALCO Energy by 51.1% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,468,093 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $10,784,000 after purchasing an additional 834,398 shares in the last quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of VAALCO Energy by 34.5% in the 4th quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP now owns 1,950,000 shares of the energy company's stock worth $8,522,000 after purchasing an additional 500,000 shares during the period. Tieton Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of VAALCO Energy by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Tieton Capital Management LLC now owns 1,805,053 shares of the energy company's stock worth $7,888,000 after purchasing an additional 337,644 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of VAALCO Energy by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,901,984 shares of the energy company's stock worth $17,052,000 after purchasing an additional 312,576 shares during the last quarter. 50.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at VAALCO Energy

In other news, COO Thor Pruckl sold 10,169 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.95, for a total transaction of $40,167.55. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 174,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $691,218.40. This represents a 5.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered VAALCO Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th.

VAALCO Energy Stock Up 2.2%

VAALCO Energy stock traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $3.44. The company's stock had a trading volume of 974,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 943,104. VAALCO Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $3.00 and a fifty-two week high of $7.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a market cap of $356.62 million, a P/E ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $3.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.04.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.06. VAALCO Energy had a return on equity of 15.63% and a net margin of 17.93%. The firm had revenue of $110.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.30 million. On average, research analysts expect that VAALCO Energy, Inc. will post 0.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

VAALCO Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.28%. VAALCO Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 45.45%.

VAALCO Energy Company Profile

VAALCO Energy, Inc, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in Gabon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, and Canada. The company holds 58.8% interest in the Etame production sharing contract related to the Etame Marin block covering an area of approximately 46,200 gross acres located offshore in the Republic of Gabon in West Africa.