StockNews.com Upgrades GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) to Buy

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Friday.

GeoPark Stock Performance

GeoPark stock opened at $8.23 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $9.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $8.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.28. GeoPark has a fifty-two week low of $7.24 and a fifty-two week high of $11.72. The company has a market capitalization of $420.82 million, a PE ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 1.37.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GeoPark

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of GeoPark by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,176,376 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $29,445,000 after buying an additional 156,067 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of GeoPark by 77.4% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 366,380 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,883,000 after buying an additional 159,861 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new stake in shares of GeoPark during the third quarter valued at $2,834,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in GeoPark by 55.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 339,337 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,146,000 after purchasing an additional 120,518 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in GeoPark by 43.2% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 223,867 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,075,000 after purchasing an additional 67,573 shares during the period. 68.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.