Teacher Retirement System of Texas Sells 214,622 Shares of VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas decreased its holdings in VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY - Free Report) by 65.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 114,251 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 214,622 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned 0.11% of VAALCO Energy worth $499,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFP Advisors Inc bought a new stake in VAALCO Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. bought a new position in VAALCO Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Zacks Investment Management boosted its position in VAALCO Energy by 19.6% in the third quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 15,419 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $89,000 after buying an additional 2,527 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP bought a new stake in VAALCO Energy during the third quarter worth about $109,000. Finally, Koss Olinger Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in shares of VAALCO Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $88,000. 50.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

VAALCO Energy Price Performance

EGY traded down $0.18 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $3.27. The company had a trading volume of 2,152,378 shares, compared to its average volume of 963,166. VAALCO Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $3.10 and a twelve month high of $7.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.34. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $4.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4.78. The company has a market capitalization of $339.24 million, a PE ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 1.16.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 13th. The energy company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $121.72 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $108.91 million. VAALCO Energy had a return on equity of 15.63% and a net margin of 17.93%. Equities research analysts predict that VAALCO Energy, Inc. will post 0.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

VAALCO Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.65%. VAALCO Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 45.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Thor Pruckl sold 10,169 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.95, for a total value of $40,167.55. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 174,992 shares in the company, valued at $691,218.40. This trade represents a 5.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded VAALCO Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th.

VAALCO Energy 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.