GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Monday morning.

GeoPark Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:GPRK opened at $9.07 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.47. The company has a market capitalization of $501.82 million, a P/E ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 1.34. GeoPark has a 52-week low of $8.05 and a 52-week high of $11.25. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.67.

GeoPark Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.147 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 29th. This represents a $0.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.48%. GeoPark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.43%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GeoPark

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new position in GeoPark in the 4th quarter valued at $689,000. Carmignac Gestion increased its stake in GeoPark by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Carmignac Gestion now owns 1,118,884 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $9,589,000 after purchasing an additional 120,000 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. increased its stake in GeoPark by 480.0% in the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 5,800 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 4,800 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd lifted its position in GeoPark by 146.7% during the fourth quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 27,798 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $238,000 after buying an additional 16,532 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd boosted its stake in GeoPark by 40.6% in the 1st quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 85,080 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $817,000 after buying an additional 24,555 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.21% of the company’s stock.

About GeoPark

GeoPark Limited engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas reserves in Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Ecuador. GeoPark Limited has a strategic partnership with ONGC Videsh to jointly acquire, invest in, and create value from upstream oil and gas projects across Latin America.