GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Trading Up 9% – Still a Buy?

Shares of GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK) shot up 9% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $10.19 and last traded at $10.10. 341,095 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 20% from the average session volume of 427,433 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.27.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GPRK. StockNews.com cut GeoPark from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on GeoPark from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th.

GeoPark Trading Up 3.9 %

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $9.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $539.26 million, a P/E ratio of 5.35 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $159.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $156.99 million. GeoPark had a return on equity of 57.93% and a net margin of 14.97%. Analysts anticipate that GeoPark Limited will post 2.56 EPS for the current year.

GeoPark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were paid a dividend of $0.147 per share. This represents a $0.59 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.58%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. GeoPark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.44%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in GeoPark during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of GeoPark in the second quarter worth about $35,000. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc increased its holdings in GeoPark by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc now owns 187,726 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,477,000 after purchasing an additional 4,859 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. bought a new position in GeoPark during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in GeoPark in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. 68.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About GeoPark

GeoPark Limited operates as an oil and natural gas exploration and production company primarily in Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and other Latin American countries. It engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas reserves. The company was formerly known as GeoPark Holdings Limited and changed its name to GeoPark Limited in July 2013.