GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,360,000 shares, an increase of 43.0% from the February 28th total of 1,650,000 shares. Approximately 6.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 778,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days.

GeoPark Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE GPRK traded down $0.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $7.95. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 305,966 shares, compared to its average volume of 528,800. GeoPark has a fifty-two week low of $7.24 and a fifty-two week high of $11.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The company has a market cap of $406.80 million, a PE ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 1.37. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $8.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $8.87.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The oil and gas company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by ($0.43). The company had revenue of $143.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $141.00 million. GeoPark had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 57.93%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that GeoPark will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GeoPark Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 19th will be paid a $0.147 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 19th. This represents a $0.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.40%. GeoPark’s payout ratio is currently 32.22%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPRK. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in GeoPark during the 3rd quarter worth about $294,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new position in GeoPark during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,834,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its position in GeoPark by 67.6% during the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 79,674 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $627,000 after acquiring an additional 32,131 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in GeoPark in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its position 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 and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of GeoPark from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th.

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.