Geopark Ltd (NYSE:GPRK) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest fell 15.1% in March to 803,366 shares (about 1.6% of shares outstanding), leaving a days-to-cover ratio of roughly 0.6 days.
• Geopark beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $0.59 vs. a ($0.01) estimate and revenue of $110.29 million, with a 39.05% return on equity and a 10.09% net margin.
• Analysts hold a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $11.50, and the company pays a small quarterly dividend (annualized $0.12, ~1.4% yield).

Geopark Ltd (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 803,366 shares, a decline of 15.1% from the March 15th total of 946,530 shares. Approximately 1.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,434,623 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.6 days.

Geopark Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GPRK traded down $0.53 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $8.84. The company had a trading volume of 1,235,350 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,027,239. Geopark has a twelve month low of $5.75 and a twelve month high of $10.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The stock has a market cap of $456.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.40 and a beta of 0.35. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $8.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.93.

Geopark (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The oil and gas company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.60. Geopark had a return on equity of 39.05% and a net margin of 10.09%.The firm had revenue of $110.29 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $103.92 million. On average, research analysts predict that Geopark will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Geopark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Geopark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.77%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Geopark

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPRK. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Geopark by 115.2% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 284,962 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,302,000 after acquiring an additional 152,520 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Geopark by 139.9% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 594,154 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $4,801,000 after acquiring an additional 346,521 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Geopark by 94.2% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 365,825 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,956,000 after acquiring an additional 177,496 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Geopark during the second quarter worth $401,000. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC increased its stake in Geopark by 11.5% during the second quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC now owns 27,028 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $176,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.21% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Geopark to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Geopark from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $11.50 target price on shares of Geopark in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Geopark presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $11.50.

Geopark Company Profile

Geopark Ltd. NYSE: GPRK is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company focused on Latin America. Founded in 2002 and with corporate offices in Canada and regional headquarters in Bogotá, Colombia, Geopark pursues the discovery and development of unconventional and conventional hydrocarbon resources. The company's strategy emphasizes asset consolidation in established basins alongside disciplined capital allocation to maximize production efficiency.

The company's core operations are centered in Colombia's Llanos Basin, where it holds interests in several producing blocks that deliver light crude oil to local and export markets.

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