GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK) Short Interest Up 81.7% in June

GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 767,700 shares, a growth of 81.7% from the May 31st total of 422,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 502,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days. Approximately 2.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

GeoPark Stock Performance

NYSE:GPRK traded down $0.08 on Friday, hitting $10.95. The stock had a trading volume of 381,951 shares, compared to its average volume of 450,601. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $10.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $9.40. The stock has a market cap of $605.84 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.37 and a beta of 1.37. GeoPark has a 52-week low of $8.05 and a 52-week high of $11.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.47.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 15th. The oil and gas company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $167.42 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $192.63 million. GeoPark had a return on equity of 67.81% and a net margin of 15.51%. As a group, research analysts predict that GeoPark will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current year.

GeoPark Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a $0.147 dividend. This represents a $0.59 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.37%. This is a positive change from GeoPark's previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. GeoPark's dividend payout ratio is 28.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPRK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of GeoPark in a research note on Friday, April 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of GeoPark from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $13.17.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GeoPark

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in GeoPark in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of GeoPark in the first quarter worth approximately $192,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its stake in shares of GeoPark by 40.6% in the first quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 85,080 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $817,000 after purchasing an additional 24,555 shares in the last quarter. Stokes Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of GeoPark during the 1st quarter valued at $302,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP raised its position in shares of GeoPark by 67.8% during the 1st quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 148,060 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,421,000 after purchasing an additional 59,834 shares during the period. 68.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About GeoPark

GeoPark Limited engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas reserves in Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Ecuador. GeoPark Limited has a strategic partnership with ONGC Videsh to jointly acquire, invest in, and create value from upstream oil and gas projects across Latin America.