Vaalco Energy (NYSE:EGY) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Sell”

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vaalco Energy (NYSE:EGY) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on EGY. Loop Capital set a $7.30 price target on shares of Vaalco Energy in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Zacks Research raised shares of Vaalco Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vaalco Energy from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vaalco Energy has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $7.30.

Vaalco Energy Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of EGY opened at $5.98 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $623.27 million, a P/E ratio of -4.36 and a beta of 0.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $4.77. Vaalco Energy has a twelve month low of $3.14 and a twelve month high of $6.72.

Vaalco Energy (NYSE:EGY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The energy company reported ($0.45) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.44). The firm had revenue of $62.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $78.20 million. Vaalco Energy had a negative net margin of 45.86% and a negative return on equity of 12.74%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vaalco Energy will post 0.11 EPS for the current year.

Vaalco Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. Vaalco Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -18.25%.

Institutional Trading of Vaalco Energy

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vaalco Energy by 91.1% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,469 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 4,038 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Vaalco Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vaalco Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Vaalco Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vaalco Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 50.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Vaalco Energy

Vaalco Energy, Inc is an independent energy company principally engaged in the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Vaalco concentrates on offshore assets in West Africa, with a strategic emphasis on maintaining and optimizing cash-flow–generating properties. Founded in the mid-1980s, the company has built its reputation by focusing on high-impact drilling prospects and extending the productive life of its core fields through targeted infill wells and enhanced recovery techniques.

The company’s primary producing asset is the Etame Marin block offshore Gabon, where Vaalco holds a majority interest and serves as operator.