GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Sunday.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of GeoPark from $11.50 to $12.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th.

GeoPark Stock Up 4.5 %

Shares of NYSE:GPRK traded up $0.35 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $8.20. 324,884 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 402,068. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $8.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.46. GeoPark has a one year low of $7.24 and a one year high of $11.25. The company has a market cap of $453.69 million, a P/E ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The oil and gas company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.30). The business had revenue of $190.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $182.74 million. GeoPark had a return on equity of 60.77% and a net margin of 14.28%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that GeoPark will post 3.09 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of GeoPark

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in shares of GeoPark by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,246,617 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $35,550,000 after purchasing an additional 61,454 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of GeoPark by 3,251.7% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 379,483 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $4,139,000 after acquiring an additional 368,161 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new position in shares of GeoPark during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,929,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in GeoPark in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,261,000. Finally, Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc boosted its position in GeoPark by 2.7% during the third quarter. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc now owns 187,726 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,477,000 after purchasing an additional 4,859 shares during the period. 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.