North Star Investment Management Corp. Raises Stake in Vaalco Energy Inc $EGY

North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its holdings in shares of Vaalco Energy Inc (NYSE:EGY) by 159.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 275,000 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 169,000 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp. owned approximately 0.26% of Vaalco Energy worth $1,744,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Vaalco Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $1,638,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vaalco Energy by 7.2% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,740,856 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $19,058,000 after acquiring an additional 316,570 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its stake in shares of Vaalco Energy by 154.9% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,326,729 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $4,829,000 after acquiring an additional 806,283 shares during the last quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS grew its stake in shares of Vaalco Energy by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 3,228,660 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $11,752,000 after acquiring an additional 28,645 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vaalco Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $126,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.32% of the company’s stock.

Vaalco Energy Stock Up 0.7%

EGY stock opened at $4.96 on Tuesday. Vaalco Energy Inc has a 1-year low of $3.36 and a 1-year high of $6.72. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $5.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.51 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $517.65 million, a P/E ratio of -3.62 and a beta of 0.10.

Vaalco Energy (NYSE:EGY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The energy company reported ($0.45) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.44). Vaalco Energy had a negative net margin of 45.86% and a negative return on equity of 12.74%. The business had revenue of $62.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $78.20 million. Equities analysts forecast that Vaalco Energy Inc will post 0.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vaalco Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. Vaalco Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -18.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on EGY. Zacks Research raised Vaalco Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vaalco Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vaalco Energy from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vaalco Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $7.30.

About Vaalco Energy

Vaalco Energy, Inc is an independent energy company principally engaged in the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Vaalco concentrates on offshore assets in West Africa, with a strategic emphasis on maintaining and optimizing cash-flow–generating properties. Founded in the mid-1980s, the company has built its reputation by focusing on high-impact drilling prospects and extending the productive life of its core fields through targeted infill wells and enhanced recovery techniques.

The company’s primary producing asset is the Etame Marin block offshore Gabon, where Vaalco holds a majority interest and serves as operator.