Marshall Wace LLP Sells 268,318 Shares of VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY)

Marshall Wace LLP lowered its stake in VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY - Free Report) by 89.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,664 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 268,318 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP's holdings in VAALCO Energy were worth $138,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tieton Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of VAALCO Energy by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. Tieton Capital Management LLC now owns 1,805,053 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $7,888,000 after buying an additional 337,644 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in VAALCO Energy by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,901,984 shares of the energy company's stock worth $17,052,000 after buying an additional 312,576 shares in the last quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS lifted its stake in VAALCO Energy by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 2,786,265 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $12,176,000 after acquiring an additional 247,310 shares in the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC boosted its holdings in VAALCO Energy by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 1,330,413 shares of the energy company's stock worth $5,814,000 after acquiring an additional 129,939 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of VAALCO Energy by 319.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 160,736 shares of the energy company's stock worth $923,000 after acquiring an additional 122,373 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.32% of the company's stock.

VAALCO Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EGY remained flat at $3.44 during mid-day trading on Friday. The stock had a trading volume of 645,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 942,587. The firm has a market cap of $361.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. VAALCO Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $3.00 and a 12 month high of $7.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $3.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $4.29.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.06. The company had revenue of $110.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.30 million. VAALCO Energy had a net margin of 17.93% and a return on equity of 15.63%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that VAALCO Energy, Inc. will post 0.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

VAALCO Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. VAALCO Energy's payout ratio is currently 45.45%.

Insider Activity at VAALCO Energy

In other VAALCO Energy news, COO Thor Pruckl sold 10,169 shares of VAALCO Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.95, for a total transaction of $40,167.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 174,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at $691,218.40. The trade was a 5.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of VAALCO Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday.

VAALCO Energy Profile

VAALCO Energy, Inc, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in Gabon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, and Canada. The company holds 58.8% interest in the Etame production sharing contract related to the Etame Marin block covering an area of approximately 46,200 gross acres located offshore in the Republic of Gabon in West Africa.