VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) Shares Sold by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP reduced its stake in VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY - Free Report) by 89.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 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 quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Tieton Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 337,644 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in VAALCO Energy by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,901,984 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $17,052,000 after purchasing an additional 312,576 shares during the last quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS grew its stake in shares of VAALCO Energy by 9.7% in 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 buying an additional 247,310 shares during the period. Foundry Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 129,939 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of VAALCO Energy by 319.0% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 160,736 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $923,000 after buying an additional 122,373 shares during the period. 50.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

VAALCO Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EGY remained flat at $3.44 during midday trading on Friday. The company had a trading volume of 645,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 942,429. The company has a market capitalization of $361.47 million, a PE ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.87. VAALCO Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $3.00 and a 1 year high of $7.43. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $3.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $4.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.06. The business had revenue of $110.33 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $99.30 million. VAALCO Energy had a net margin of 17.93% and a return on equity of 15.63%. Equities research analysts predict that VAALCO Energy, Inc. will post 0.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

VAALCO Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Thor Pruckl sold 10,169 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.95, for a total transaction of $40,167.55. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 174,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $691,218.40. This represents a 5.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About VAALCO Energy

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.