Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR) Earns Outperform Rating from Analysts at William Blair

Key Points

• Analysts at William Blair have initiated coverage of Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR) with an outperform rating.
• Gulfport Energy's stock has seen multiple upgrades, with analysts from Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase & Co. adjusting their target prices to $218.00 and $236.00, respectively.
• The company recently reported earnings per share (EPS) of $4.06, missing the consensus estimate of $4.91, while revenue significantly exceeded expectations at $447.62 million.

Equities research analysts at William Blair started coverage on shares of Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR - Get Free Report) in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage set an "outperform" rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on GPOR. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Gulfport Energy from $217.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Gulfport Energy from $240.00 to $227.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Gulfport Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Gulfport Energy from $208.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $215.00 target price (up previously from $205.00) on shares of Gulfport Energy in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have given a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $224.00.

Gulfport Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Gulfport Energy stock opened at $169.21 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $180.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.57 and a beta of 0.62. Gulfport Energy has a fifty-two week low of $135.84 and a fifty-two week high of $210.32.

Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $4.06 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.91 by ($0.85). The business had revenue of $447.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $334.57 million. Gulfport Energy had a negative net margin of 9.14% and a positive return on equity of 18.89%.

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gulfport Energy

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Gulfport Energy during the first quarter worth $239,000. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Gulfport Energy by 1.2% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 20,623 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,798,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its stake in Gulfport Energy by 337.6% during the 2nd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 61,700 shares of the company's stock worth $12,412,000 after purchasing an additional 47,600 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Gulfport Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $263,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Gulfport Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $557,000.

About Gulfport Energy

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.