Compass Group LLC Trims Stake in GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK)

Compass Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK - Free Report) by 64.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 109,591 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 195,907 shares during the period. GeoPark makes up about 5.8% of Compass Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Compass Group LLC owned 0.21% of GeoPark worth $1,016,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Investment Counsel Co. of Nevada bought a new position in shares of GeoPark during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of GeoPark during the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of GeoPark by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,142 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 1,252 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of GeoPark by 392.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,974 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 7,151 shares during the period. Finally, Puff Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of GeoPark during the 4th quarter valued at $121,000. 68.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

GeoPark Stock Performance

GeoPark stock traded down $0.21 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $6.78. The company had a trading volume of 513,868 shares, compared to its average volume of 560,266. GeoPark Limited has a 52 week low of $5.66 and a 52 week high of $11.72. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $7.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $347.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The oil and gas company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by ($0.43). The company had revenue of $143.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $141.00 million. GeoPark had a return on equity of 57.93% and a net margin of 14.97%. Sell-side analysts forecast that GeoPark Limited will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GeoPark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 19th were issued a dividend of $0.147 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 19th. This represents a $0.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.67%. GeoPark's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut GeoPark from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday.

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.