GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Trading Down 4.4% - Here's What Happened

GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) shares fell 4.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $10.89 and last traded at $10.90. 530,020 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 37% from the average session volume of 847,592 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.40.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on GPRK. StockNews.com upgraded GeoPark from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, January 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of GeoPark from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th.

GeoPark Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $550.05 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.46 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $9.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.17.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.11). GeoPark had a return on equity of 57.93% and a net margin of 14.97%. The company had revenue of $159.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.99 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that GeoPark Limited will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GeoPark Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st were issued a dividend of $0.147 per share. This represents a $0.59 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.47%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. GeoPark's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.44%.

Institutional Trading of GeoPark

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in shares of GeoPark in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. bought a new position in GeoPark in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in GeoPark in the third quarter worth $44,000. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of GeoPark by 392.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,974 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 7,151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of GeoPark in the third quarter valued at $148,000. 68.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

GeoPark Company Profile

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.

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