Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY)

VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Traders purchased 6,034 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 924% compared to the average daily volume of 589 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On VAALCO Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in VAALCO Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $226,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in shares of VAALCO Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $141,000. GTS Securities LLC increased its stake in VAALCO Energy by 49.1% during the 4th quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 19,268 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 6,343 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new stake in VAALCO Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $497,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in VAALCO Energy by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 29,339 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $128,000 after buying an additional 9,654 shares during the period. 50.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

VAALCO Energy Trading Down 6.8 %

NYSE EGY opened at $4.04 on Tuesday. VAALCO Energy has a 12 month low of $3.57 and a 12 month high of $7.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $424.06 million, a P/E ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $4.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.32.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 13th. The energy company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.02. VAALCO Energy had a net margin of 17.93% and a return on equity of 15.63%. The firm had revenue of $121.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $108.91 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that VAALCO Energy will post 0.43 earnings per share for the current year.

VAALCO Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.20%. VAALCO Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded VAALCO Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday.

VAALCO Energy Company Profile

VAALCO Energy, Inc, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in Gabon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, and Canada. The company holds 58.8% interest in the Etame production sharing contract related to the Etame Marin block covering an area of approximately 46,200 gross acres located offshore in the Republic of Gabon in West Africa.