GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Sees Large Volume Increase

GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 1,362,844 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 207% from the previous session's volume of 444,292 shares.The stock last traded at $9.18 and had previously closed at $9.32.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of GeoPark from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of GeoPark from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of GeoPark in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $13.17.

GeoPark Stock Down 1.0 %

The company has a market capitalization of $510.70 million, a PE ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 1.30. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $9.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.17.

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

GeoPark Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.136 per share. This is a positive change from GeoPark's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.89%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 19th. GeoPark's payout ratio is presently 27.69%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GeoPark

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SpiderRock Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of GeoPark in the 1st quarter worth about $474,000. Carmignac Gestion boosted its position in shares of GeoPark by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Carmignac Gestion now owns 1,118,884 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $9,589,000 after buying an additional 120,000 shares in the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC boosted its position in shares of GeoPark by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 116,514 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $999,000 after buying an additional 18,167 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP boosted its position in shares of GeoPark by 107.3% in the 4th quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 85,809 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $735,000 after buying an additional 44,407 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd boosted its position in shares of GeoPark by 146.7% in the 4th quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 27,798 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $238,000 after buying an additional 16,532 shares in the last quarter. 68.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.