GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Trading Up 4.4%

GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) shares traded up 4.4% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $10.33 and last traded at $10.27. 110,818 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 422,606 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.84.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of GeoPark from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. StockNews.com raised GeoPark from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of GeoPark in a research report on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $13.17.

GeoPark Price Performance

The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $9.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.24. The company has a market capitalization of $543.34 million, a P/E ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The oil and gas company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $199.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $212.54 million. GeoPark had a return on equity of 79.78% and a net margin of 14.69%. On average, equities analysts forecast that GeoPark Limited will post 3.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GeoPark Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 20th were paid a $0.136 dividend. This represents a $0.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.54%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 19th. This is a boost from GeoPark's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. GeoPark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.69%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GeoPark

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in GeoPark in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA acquired a new stake in shares of GeoPark during the 2nd quarter valued at about $54,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in GeoPark by 1,147.8% in the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,205 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 3,868 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new position in GeoPark in the second quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. lifted its stake in GeoPark by 480.0% during the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 5,800 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 4,800 shares during the period. 68.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About GeoPark

GeoPark Limited engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas reserves in Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Ecuador. GeoPark Limited has a strategic partnership with ONGC Videsh to jointly acquire, invest in, and create value from upstream oil and gas projects across Latin America.