GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,360,000 shares, an increase of 43.0% from the February 28th total of 1,650,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 778,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Currently, 6.3% of the company's stock are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GeoPark

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of GeoPark by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,142 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 1,252 shares in the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. increased its holdings in shares of GeoPark by 17.0% in the fourth quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 13,855 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 2,009 shares during the period. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. lifted its stake in GeoPark by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. now owns 15,000 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $152,000 after acquiring an additional 2,143 shares during the period. Investment Counsel Co. of Nevada acquired a new stake in shares of GeoPark in the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of GeoPark by 50.7% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 15,370 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 5,171 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.21% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of GeoPark from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th.

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GeoPark Stock Down 6.2 %

Shares of NYSE:GPRK traded down $0.50 on Thursday, hitting $7.51. 411,391 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 530,678. The company has a market cap of $384.23 million, a PE ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $8.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.87. GeoPark has a 52 week low of $7.24 and a 52 week high of $11.72. 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 - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The oil and gas company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by ($0.43). The business had revenue of $143.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $141.00 million. GeoPark had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 57.93%. As a group, research analysts expect that GeoPark will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current year.

GeoPark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 19th were given a dividend of $0.147 per share. This represents a $0.59 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.83%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 19th. GeoPark's dividend payout ratio is 32.22%.

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.