Geopark (NYSE:GPRK) Reaches New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Geopark Ltd (NYSE:GPRK) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $9.94 and last traded at $9.8890, with a volume of 144866 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $9.76.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on GPRK. Zacks Research raised Geopark to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $11.50 price objective on shares of Geopark in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Geopark from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $11.50.

Geopark Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $7.50. The company has a market capitalization of $506.35 million, a PE ratio of 15.30 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.70.

Geopark (NYSE:GPRK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The oil and gas company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.61. The business had revenue of $110.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $120.00 million. Geopark had a return on equity of 33.42% and a net margin of 6.45%. Equities analysts anticipate that Geopark Ltd will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Geopark Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be given a $0.03 dividend. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 11th. Geopark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.46%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Geopark

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GPRK. OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Geopark in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,489,000. Empirical Finance LLC grew its stake in Geopark by 73.9% during the 2nd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 210,227 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,371,000 after buying an additional 89,304 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in Geopark during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $99,000. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC increased its position in Geopark by 42.7% during the second quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC now owns 23,373 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $152,000 after buying an additional 6,991 shares during the period. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in Geopark during the third quarter worth approximately $576,000. 68.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Geopark

Geopark Ltd. (NYSE:GPRK) is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company focused on Latin America. Founded in 2002 and with corporate offices in Canada and regional headquarters in Bogotá, Colombia, Geopark pursues the discovery and development of unconventional and conventional hydrocarbon resources. The company’s strategy emphasizes asset consolidation in established basins alongside disciplined capital allocation to maximize production efficiency.

The company’s core operations are centered in Colombia’s Llanos Basin, where it holds interests in several producing blocks that deliver light crude oil to local and export markets.