Wall Street Zen Downgrades Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR) to Hold

Key Points

• Gulfport Energy has been downgraded from a "buy" to a "hold" rating by Wall Street Zen, affecting investor sentiment.
• Despite the downgrade, the average rating for Gulfport Energy remains "Buy" with a price target of $231.00, as per MarketBeat data.
• Several investment firms, including JPMorgan and TD Cowen, have recently issued different ratings and price targets ranging from $236.00 to $255.00 for the company's stock.

Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $215.00 price target (up previously from $205.00) on shares of Gulfport Energy in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group set a $255.00 price target on Gulfport Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Gulfport Energy from $217.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Gulfport Energy from $208.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Gulfport Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $231.00.

Gulfport Energy Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of GPOR stock traded up $3.62 on Friday, hitting $172.18. The company had a trading volume of 170,124 shares, compared to its average volume of 264,112. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.67 and a beta of 0.64. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $189.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Gulfport Energy has a twelve month low of $130.02 and a twelve month high of $210.32.

Insider Activity at Gulfport Energy

In other news, Director Jason Joseph Martinez sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.69, for a total transaction of $135,583.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,888 shares in the company, valued at $946,756.72. The trade was a 12.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Matthew Willrath sold 633 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.83, for a total value of $122,694.39. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,342 shares in the company, valued at approximately $453,949.86. This represents a 21.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Toth Financial Advisory Corp acquired a new position in Gulfport Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $85,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Gulfport Energy during the first quarter worth $239,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Gulfport Energy during the second quarter worth $263,000. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its stake in Gulfport Energy by 7.1% during the second quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 1,784 shares of the company's stock worth $359,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Gulfport Energy during the second quarter worth $417,000.

Gulfport Energy Company Profile

Gulfport Energy Corporation engages in the exploration, development, acquisition, production of natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids (NGL) in the United States. Its principal properties include Utica Shale covering an area approximately 187,000 net reservoir acres primarily located in Eastern Ohio; and SCOOP covering an area approximately 74,000 net reservoir acres primarily located in Garvin, Grady, and Stephens.