VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

VAALCO Energy Trading Down 7.7 %

Shares of VAALCO Energy stock traded down $0.26 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $3.08. The company had a trading volume of 1,736,789 shares, compared to its average volume of 965,343. The firm has a market cap of $319.94 million, a PE ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $3.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $4.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.32. VAALCO Energy has a fifty-two week low of $3.03 and a fifty-two week high of $7.43.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 13th. The energy company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $121.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $108.91 million. VAALCO Energy had a net margin of 17.93% and a return on equity of 15.63%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that VAALCO Energy will post 0.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other VAALCO Energy news, COO Thor Pruckl sold 10,169 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 174,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $691,218.40. This trade represents a 5.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of VAALCO Energy

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in VAALCO Energy by 4.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,285,378 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $24,598,000 after acquiring an additional 176,259 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of VAALCO Energy by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,901,984 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $17,052,000 after purchasing an additional 312,576 shares in the last quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS grew its position in VAALCO Energy by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 2,786,265 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $12,176,000 after purchasing an additional 247,310 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in VAALCO Energy by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,510,060 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $10,972,000 after purchasing an additional 16,473 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in VAALCO Energy by 51.1% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,468,093 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $10,784,000 after purchasing an additional 834,398 shares in the last quarter. 50.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

VAALCO Energy Company 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.