Geopark (NYSE:GPRK) Shares Up 3% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Geopark shares rose 3% to about $11.22, although trading volume was 91% below its average daily level.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the consensus rating is “Hold” with a $12.00 average price target, despite Jefferies maintaining a “Buy” rating.
• Geopark beat quarterly EPS estimates ($0.22 versus $0.12) but missed revenue expectations, while paying a $0.023 quarterly dividend and reporting a recent sale of 100,000 shares by a director.

Geopark Ltd (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) shares were up 3% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $11.27 and last traded at $11.2230. Approximately 67,455 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 786,839 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Geopark from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Geopark in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $12.00 target price on shares of Geopark in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.00.

Geopark Stock Performance

The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $10.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.85. The company has a market capitalization of $571.40 million, a PE ratio of 7.52 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Geopark (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.10. Geopark had a return on equity of 31.33% and a net margin of 16.00%.The firm had revenue of $143.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $185.50 million.

Geopark Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th were given a $0.023 dividend. This represents a $0.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. Geopark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director James Park sold 100,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.92, for a total value of $1,192,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 692,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,250,046.56. The trade was a 12.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Geopark

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Geopark by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 53,885 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $512,000 after purchasing an additional 2,383 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Geopark during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Geopark by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 31,504 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $299,000 after purchasing an additional 3,823 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP grew its holdings in shares of Geopark by 82.0% during the first quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 23,342 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $222,000 after buying an additional 10,517 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ramsey Quantitative Systems purchased a new stake in shares of Geopark during the second quarter worth about $143,000. 68.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Geopark

GeoPark Limited NYSE: GPRK is an independent Latin American oil and gas exploration, development and production company. The company explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas, with activities focused primarily on onshore assets and mature hydrocarbon basins.

Founded in 2002, GeoPark has built a portfolio through exploration, acquisitions and partnerships across South America. Its operations have included Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Argentina, although its asset base and operating footprint may change as the company develops, acquires or divests properties.

GeoPark's business is centered on identifying hydrocarbon reserves, developing producing fields and applying operational and technical expertise to improve recovery from existing assets.

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