VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) Short Interest Down 8.5% in December

VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,210,000 shares, a drop of 8.5% from the December 15th total of 4,600,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 912,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.6 days.

VAALCO Energy Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of EGY opened at $4.55 on Monday. VAALCO Energy has a twelve month low of $4.03 and a twelve month high of $7.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $477.66 million, a P/E ratio of 5.35 and a beta of 1.19. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $4.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.67.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 11th. The energy company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $140.33 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $128.64 million. VAALCO Energy had a return on equity of 15.63% and a net margin of 17.93%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.07 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that VAALCO Energy will post 0.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

VAALCO Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.50%. VAALCO Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.41%.

Institutional Trading of VAALCO Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of VAALCO Energy by 4.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,285,378 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $24,598,000 after acquiring an additional 176,259 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in VAALCO Energy by 33.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,813,832 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $17,643,000 after purchasing an additional 701,568 shares in the last quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS boosted its stake in shares of VAALCO Energy by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 2,538,955 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $14,574,000 after purchasing an additional 121,005 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of VAALCO Energy by 4.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,493,587 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $14,316,000 after buying an additional 109,090 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC raised its position in shares of VAALCO Energy by 156.8% in the third quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 1,200,474 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $6,891,000 after buying an additional 733,084 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded VAALCO Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th.

About VAALCO Energy

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.