Gulfport Energy Corporation (NYSE:GPOR) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Fifteen analysts give Gulfport a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy", with an average 1‑year price target of $232.44 (7 hold, 7 buy, 1 strong buy).
• Insiders have been net sellers recently — the CFO sold 16,769 shares and Silver Point sold 84,416 shares, with insiders offloading 876,258 shares worth $179.14M in the last 90 days and now owning 0.62% of the stock.
• Latest quarter showed EPS of $5.60 (missed by $0.01) while revenue of $398.19M beat estimates; Gulfport has a 30.01% net margin, ROE of 21.85%, market cap ~$3.67B and a P/E of 10.01, with the stock trading around $203.54 (12‑month range $156.93–$225.78).

Gulfport Energy Corporation (NYSE:GPOR - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $232.4444.

Several research firms have commented on GPOR. Zacks Research raised shares of Gulfport Energy from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. TD Cowen raised shares of Gulfport Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Gulfport Energy from $264.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Gulfport Energy from $228.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of Gulfport Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, January 5th.

Insider Activity at Gulfport Energy

In related news, CFO Michael L. Hodges sold 16,769 shares of Gulfport Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.70, for a total transaction of $3,533,228.30. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,892,261.10. The trade was a 47.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Silver Point Capital L.P. sold 84,416 shares of Gulfport Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.22, for a total transaction of $17,239,435.52. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,605,729 shares in the company, valued at $532,141,976.38. This trade represents a 3.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 876,258 shares of company stock worth $179,141,707 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gulfport Energy

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Gulfport Energy by 20,951.9% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 10,947 shares of the company's stock worth $1,981,000 after acquiring an additional 10,895 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Gulfport Energy by 67.9% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 351,007 shares of the company's stock worth $63,525,000 after acquiring an additional 142,002 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Gulfport Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,478,000. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Gulfport Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,837,000. Finally, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Gulfport Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $13,574,000.

Gulfport Energy Price Performance

GPOR stock opened at $203.54 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Gulfport Energy has a 12 month low of $156.93 and a 12 month high of $225.78. The firm has a market cap of $3.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.01 and a beta of 0.59. The company's 50-day moving average price is $204.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $198.90.

Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $5.60 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.61 by ($0.01). Gulfport Energy had a net margin of 30.01% and a return on equity of 21.85%. The firm had revenue of $398.19 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $373.24 million.

About Gulfport Energy

Gulfport Energy Corporation is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The company focuses on the development of onshore natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and crude oil properties in the United States. Gulfport utilizes horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing techniques to maximize production and enhance recovery from its resource plays.

The company's primary operations are concentrated in two major U.S. resource basins.

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