Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY)

VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Stock investors acquired 6,034 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 924% compared to the average daily volume of 589 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

VAALCO Energy Price Performance

Shares of VAALCO Energy stock traded down $0.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $3.88. 1,661,144 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 969,303. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.34. VAALCO Energy has a 1-year low of $3.57 and a 1-year high of $7.51. The company has a market cap of $407.24 million, a P/E ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 1.16. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $4.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.94.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 13th. The energy company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $121.72 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $108.91 million. VAALCO Energy had a return on equity of 15.63% and a net margin of 17.93%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that VAALCO Energy will post 0.43 earnings per share for the current year.

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VAALCO Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. VAALCO Energy's payout ratio is 45.45%.

Institutional Trading of VAALCO Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of VAALCO Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $6,515,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in VAALCO Energy by 51.1% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,468,093 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $10,784,000 after purchasing an additional 834,398 shares during the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of VAALCO Energy by 156.8% during the third quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 1,200,474 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $6,891,000 after purchasing an additional 733,084 shares in the last quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of VAALCO Energy by 34.5% during the fourth quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP now owns 1,950,000 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $8,522,000 after purchasing an additional 500,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of VAALCO Energy by 66.9% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 962,824 shares of the energy company's stock worth $5,527,000 after purchasing an additional 386,071 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.32% of the company's stock.

VAALCO Energy Company Profile

VAALCO Energy, Inc, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in Gabon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, and Canada. The company holds 58.8% interest in the Etame production sharing contract related to the Etame Marin block covering an area of approximately 46,200 gross acres located offshore in the Republic of Gabon in West Africa.