GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Sees Strong Trading Volume

GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 485,983 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 22% from the previous session's volume of 396,966 shares.The stock last traded at $9.99 and had previously closed at $9.79.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GPRK has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com raised GeoPark from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on GeoPark from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, GeoPark has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $13.67.

GeoPark Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $551.64 million, a PE ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $8.98 and a 200-day moving average of $9.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The oil and gas company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by ($0.17). GeoPark had a return on equity of 79.78% and a net margin of 14.69%. The business had revenue of $199.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $212.54 million. Equities analysts anticipate that GeoPark Limited will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GeoPark Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 20th were issued a $0.136 dividend. This is an increase from GeoPark's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 19th. GeoPark's payout ratio is presently 27.69%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GeoPark

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

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.