Short Interest in Geopark Ltd (NYSE:GPRK) Expands By 20.6%

Geopark Ltd (NYSE:GPRK) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,413,219 shares, a growth of 20.6% from the December 15th total of 1,171,848 shares. Approximately 2.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 430,621 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.3 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 430,621 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.3 days. Approximately 2.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Geopark

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc grew its stake in shares of Geopark by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc now owns 223,817 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,658,000 after purchasing an additional 8,456 shares during the last quarter. PharVision Advisers LLC bought a new position in Geopark in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $117,000. Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in Geopark by 26.3% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 46,918 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 9,782 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Geopark by 41.6% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 619,822 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,948,000 after buying an additional 182,039 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Geopark by 16.2% in the 3rd quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 89,682 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $571,000 after buying an additional 12,504 shares during the last quarter. 68.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GPRK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Geopark to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Geopark from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Geopark has an average rating of “Hold”.

Geopark Price Performance

GPRK stock traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $7.64. 388,568 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 453,724. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.57, a current ratio of 2.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.70. Geopark has a 1-year low of $5.66 and a 1-year high of $11.19. The company has a market cap of $391.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.76 and a beta of 0.47.

Geopark (NYSE:GPRK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.11. Geopark had a return on equity of 33.42% and a net margin of 6.45%.The company had revenue of $125.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $114.00 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Geopark will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Geopark Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 19th were given a $0.03 dividend. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 19th. Geopark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.46%.

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.