GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Shares Down 3.7% – Should You Sell?

GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK) was down 3.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $10.60 and last traded at $10.70. Approximately 112,117 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 417,270 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.11.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on GPRK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on GeoPark from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com upgraded GeoPark from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd.

GeoPark Stock Down 2.3 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $8.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53. The company has a market capitalization of $555.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.51 and a beta of 1.37.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $159.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.99 million. GeoPark had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 57.93%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that GeoPark Limited will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

GeoPark Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st were paid a dividend of $0.147 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $0.59 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.42%. GeoPark’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.95%.

Institutional Trading of GeoPark

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of GeoPark by 392.3% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in shares of GeoPark during the third quarter worth about $44,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $627,000 after purchasing an additional 32,131 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new position in shares of GeoPark during the third quarter worth about $2,834,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in shares of GeoPark during the third quarter worth about $294,000. 68.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.