VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) Lifted to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY - Get Free Report) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

VAALCO Energy Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of EGY traded up $0.13 on Tuesday, hitting $7.21. 982,876 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,071,016. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $744.58 million, a P/E ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 1.29. The stock's 50 day moving average is $5.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.66. VAALCO Energy has a 1 year low of $3.51 and a 1 year high of $7.51.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 13th. The energy company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $149.15 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $130.53 million. VAALCO Energy had a net margin of 13.26% and a return on equity of 14.34%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that VAALCO Energy will post 1.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On VAALCO Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in VAALCO Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $394,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in VAALCO Energy by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,899,292 shares of the energy company's stock worth $26,488,000 after purchasing an additional 232,757 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in VAALCO Energy by 29.4% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 297,117 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,334,000 after purchasing an additional 67,587 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC acquired a new position in VAALCO Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $253,000. Finally, FIL Ltd increased its position in VAALCO Energy by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 1,106,555 shares of the energy company's stock worth $4,968,000 after purchasing an additional 37,287 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.32% of the company's stock.

VAALCO Energy Company 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.

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