GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Friday.

GeoPark Stock Up 5.2 %

Shares of NYSE GPRK opened at $8.23 on Friday. GeoPark has a 12 month low of $7.24 and a 12 month high of $11.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $420.82 million, a PE ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 1.37.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 5th. The oil and gas company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.73 by ($0.43). GeoPark had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 57.93%. The firm had revenue of $143.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $141.00 million. Equities analysts expect that GeoPark will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current year.

GeoPark Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.147 per share. This represents a $0.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.15%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 19th. GeoPark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.22%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in GeoPark in the third quarter worth about $44,000. Investment Counsel Co. of Nevada bought a new stake in GeoPark in the fourth quarter worth $48,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of GeoPark during the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of GeoPark by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,142 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its stake in GeoPark by 392.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,974 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 7,151 shares in the last quarter. 68.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About GeoPark

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.