Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR) Shares Down 7.4% – Time to Sell?

Gulfport Energy Corporation (NYSE:GPOR)’s stock price dropped 7.4% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $195.63 and last traded at $195.86. Approximately 231,296 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 30% from the average daily volume of 331,088 shares. The stock had previously closed at $211.45.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Gulfport Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Gulfport Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Gulfport Energy from $219.00 to $239.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. TD Cowen raised Gulfport Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Gulfport Energy from $264.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gulfport Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $227.44.

Gulfport Energy Stock Up 3.0%

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $196.86 and a 200-day moving average of $193.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.63 and a beta of 0.61.

Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $5.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.61 by ($0.01). Gulfport Energy had a return on equity of 21.85% and a net margin of 30.01%.The firm had revenue of $398.19 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $373.24 million.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Lester Zitkus sold 4,745 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.69, for a total value of $881,099.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 7,821 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,452,281.49. This represents a 37.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael Sluiter sold 9,933 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.00, for a total value of $2,085,930.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,515,800. This trade represents a 45.33% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 893,835 shares of company stock valued at $182,476,994 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gulfport Energy

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of GPOR. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in Gulfport Energy by 866.7% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 406 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 364 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Gulfport Energy by 36.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 69,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,447,000 after purchasing an additional 18,733 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in Gulfport Energy by 102.5% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 2,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $592,000 after buying an additional 1,440 shares in the last quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury bought a new stake in Gulfport Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $327,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gulfport Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $215,000.

Gulfport Energy Company Profile

Gulfport Energy Corporation is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The company focuses on the development of onshore natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and crude oil properties in the United States. Gulfport utilizes horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing techniques to maximize production and enhance recovery from its resource plays.

The company’s primary operations are concentrated in two major U.S. resource basins.