Vaalco Energy Inc $EGY Shares Acquired by UBS Group AG

UBS Group AG increased its stake in shares of Vaalco Energy Inc (NYSE:EGY) by 154.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,326,729 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 806,283 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned about 1.27% of Vaalco Energy worth $4,829,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EGY. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vaalco Energy by 228.0% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 744,296 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,799,000 after buying an additional 517,368 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of Vaalco Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $1,638,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vaalco Energy during the third quarter worth about $1,383,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vaalco Energy by 7.2% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,740,856 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $19,058,000 after buying an additional 316,570 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS grew its holdings in shares of Vaalco Energy by 6.6% during the third quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 3,200,015 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $12,864,000 after buying an additional 197,549 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.32% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Vaalco Energy Price Performance

Shares of EGY opened at $5.87 on Friday. Vaalco Energy Inc has a twelve month low of $3.14 and a twelve month high of $6.72. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $6.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $611.80 million, a PE ratio of -4.28 and a beta of 0.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Vaalco Energy (NYSE:EGY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The energy company reported ($0.45) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $78.20 million. Research analysts anticipate that Vaalco Energy Inc will post 0.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Vaalco Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. Vaalco Energy’s payout ratio is currently -18.25%.

Vaalco Energy Company Profile

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.