Geopark (NYSE:GPRK) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Here’s Why

Shares of Geopark Ltd (NYSE:GPRK) saw strong trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 1,117,187 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 51% from the previous session’s volume of 737,999 shares.The stock last traded at $12.5790 and had previously closed at $11.69.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on GPRK. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Geopark from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Geopark in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Geopark presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.50.

Geopark Trading Up 2.8%

The firm has a market cap of $621.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.18 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $9.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.55.

Geopark (NYSE:GPRK) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $143.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $185.50 million. Geopark had a return on equity of 31.33% and a net margin of 16.00%.

Geopark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $0.023 per share. This represents a $0.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. Geopark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.12%.

Insider Activity at Geopark

In other news, Director James Franklin Park sold 120,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.65, for a total value of $1,158,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 792,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,643,938.70. This trade represents a 13.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Geopark

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Geopark during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Geopark by 86.1% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 6,775 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 3,134 shares in the last quarter. StoneX Group Inc. bought a new position in Geopark during the fourth quarter worth about $101,000. PharVision Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Geopark during the third quarter valued at $117,000. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Geopark in the fourth quarter worth $139,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.21% of the company’s stock.

Geopark Company Profile

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.