GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Here’s What Happened

Shares of GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK) saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . 694,578 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 69% from the previous session’s volume of 410,906 shares.The stock last traded at $11.46 and had previously closed at $11.22.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GPRK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of GeoPark from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of GeoPark from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday.

GeoPark Trading Down 3.1 %

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’s 50-day moving average is $8.39 and its 200 day moving average is $9.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $556.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.73 and a beta of 1.37.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.11). GeoPark had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 57.93%. The company had revenue of $159.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.99 million. On average, equities analysts predict that GeoPark Limited will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GeoPark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.147 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $0.59 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.41%. GeoPark’s payout ratio is 29.44%.

Institutional Trading of GeoPark

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GPRK. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in GeoPark during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in shares of GeoPark in the second quarter worth about $34,000. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of GeoPark in the second quarter worth about $35,000. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of GeoPark in the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of GeoPark in the third quarter worth about $44,000. Institutional investors own 68.21% of the company’s stock.

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.