Westwood Global Investments LLC Trims Stake in GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK)

Westwood Global Investments LLC cut its holdings in GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK - Free Report) by 14.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 782,247 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 134,900 shares during the period. GeoPark comprises approximately 0.3% of Westwood Global Investments LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Westwood Global Investments LLC owned about 1.39% of GeoPark worth $6,704,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GPRK. Sagil Capital LLP increased its position in GeoPark by 344.7% in the third quarter. Sagil Capital LLP now owns 1,791,222 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $18,414,000 after buying an additional 1,388,418 shares during the last quarter. Carmignac Gestion raised its stake in GeoPark by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. Carmignac Gestion now owns 998,884 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $10,269,000 after acquiring an additional 145,305 shares during the period. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc lifted its holdings in GeoPark by 3.7% during the third quarter. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc now owns 168,555 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,733,000 after purchasing an additional 5,964 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in GeoPark by 19.3% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 153,539 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,316,000 after purchasing an additional 24,877 shares during the period. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC boosted its position in GeoPark by 208.3% during the third quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 98,347 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,011,000 after purchasing an additional 66,452 shares during the period. 68.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on GPRK. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $14.00 price target on shares of GeoPark in a research note on Friday, April 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of GeoPark from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of GeoPark from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $13.17.

GeoPark Trading Up 0.8 %

GPRK traded up $0.08 during trading on Friday, hitting $10.06. 687,357 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 412,049. The firm has a market capitalization of $556.62 million, a P/E ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 1.31. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $9.61 and a 200 day moving average of $9.13. 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 Limited has a 12-month low of $8.05 and a 12-month high of $10.95.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) last announced 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $212.54 million. GeoPark had a return on equity of 71.80% and a net margin of 15.51%. Equities research analysts anticipate that GeoPark Limited will post 3.16 EPS for the current year.

GeoPark Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be issued a $0.147 dividend. This is an increase from GeoPark's previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $0.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.84%. GeoPark's dividend payout ratio is 26.47%.

GeoPark Company Profile

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.