Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $2.88 Million Stock Holdings in GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK)

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK - Free Report) by 77.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 366,380 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 159,861 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.66% of GeoPark worth $2,883,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Deltec Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in GeoPark by 997.3% during the third quarter. Deltec Asset Management LLC now owns 131,678 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,036,000 after purchasing an additional 119,678 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. bought a new position in shares of GeoPark during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc boosted its stake in shares of GeoPark by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc now owns 187,726 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,477,000 after acquiring an additional 4,859 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of GeoPark during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $320,000. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in GeoPark by 137.3% in the 3rd quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 128,750 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,013,000 after acquiring an additional 74,485 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.21% of the company's stock.

GeoPark Stock Performance

Shares of GPRK traded up $0.72 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $8.99. 432,410 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 309,284. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $8.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.21. The company has a market cap of $459.93 million, a P/E ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 1.31. GeoPark Limited has a twelve month low of $7.24 and a twelve month high of $11.25. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas company reported $0.48 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $159.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.99 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that GeoPark Limited will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

GeoPark Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a $0.147 dividend. This represents a $0.59 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. GeoPark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price 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. StockNews.com cut GeoPark from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th.

GeoPark 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.