Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Buy" Rating

Key Points

• Gulfport Energy (NYSE: GPOR) has been upgraded from a "hold" to a "buy" rating by Wall Street Zen, indicating increased investor confidence.
• The stock has seen positive evaluations from several analysts, with a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $231.00.
• Despite strong revenue of $447.62 million for the last quarter, Gulfport Energy reported earnings per share that missed expectations, highlighting the volatility in its performance.

Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Saturday.

GPOR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $215.00 price target (up previously from $205.00) on shares of Gulfport Energy in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Gulfport Energy from $208.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. TD Cowen upgraded Gulfport Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Gulfport Energy from $217.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, UBS Group set a $255.00 price objective on Gulfport Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $231.00.

Gulfport Energy Price Performance

GPOR traded down $0.71 on Friday, reaching $165.91. The company's stock had a trading volume of 184,227 shares, compared to its average volume of 254,588. The firm has a market cap of $2.91 billion, a PE ratio of -23.11 and a beta of 0.62. Gulfport Energy has a 1 year low of $135.84 and a 1 year high of $210.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.51. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $185.84.

Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $4.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.91 by ($0.85). The business had revenue of $447.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $334.57 million. Gulfport Energy had a negative net margin of 9.14% and a positive return on equity of 18.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gulfport Energy

In other Gulfport Energy news, Director Jason Joseph Martinez sold 700 shares of Gulfport Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.69, for a total transaction of $135,583.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,756.72. The trade was a 12.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Matthew Willrath sold 633 shares of Gulfport Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.83, for a total transaction of $122,694.39. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,342 shares in the company, valued at approximately $453,949.86. The trade was a 21.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gulfport Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Gulfport Energy by 49.3% during the 2nd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 565,194 shares of the company's stock worth $113,700,000 after purchasing an additional 186,531 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Gulfport Energy by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 332,557 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,912,000 after acquiring an additional 31,682 shares in the last quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Gulfport Energy by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. now owns 163,160 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,823,000 after acquiring an additional 7,000 shares in the last quarter. Canoe Financial LP purchased a new position in shares of Gulfport Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $13,257,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its holdings in shares of Gulfport Energy by 337.6% during the 2nd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 61,700 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,412,000 after acquiring an additional 47,600 shares in the last quarter.

About Gulfport Energy

Gulfport Energy Corporation engages in the exploration, development, acquisition, production of natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids (NGL) in the United States. Its principal properties include Utica Shale covering an area approximately 187,000 net reservoir acres primarily located in Eastern Ohio; and SCOOP covering an area approximately 74,000 net reservoir acres primarily located in Garvin, Grady, and Stephens.