Geopark (NYSE:GPRK) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Geopark Ltd (NYSE:GPRK) shares hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $10.40 and last traded at $10.3760, with a volume of 806841 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.58.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on GPRK shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Geopark from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $11.50 price objective on shares of Geopark in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Geopark presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $11.50.

Geopark Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $536.54 million, a PE ratio of 9.88 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a 50 day moving average of $9.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Geopark (NYSE:GPRK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The oil and gas company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.13. Geopark had a return on equity of 36.71% and a net margin of 11.74%.The firm had revenue of $128.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $140.00 million.

Geopark Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $0.023 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $0.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Geopark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.43%.

Insider Activity at Geopark

In related news, Director James Franklin Park sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.83, for a total transaction of $883,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 912,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,054,001.94. This trade represents a 9.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Geopark by 4.6% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 53,885 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $512,000 after acquiring an additional 2,383 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP raised its stake in shares of Geopark by 82.0% in the first quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 23,342 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $222,000 after buying an additional 10,517 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of Geopark by 21.2% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,309,031 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $31,436,000 after buying an additional 578,178 shares during the period. Pale Fire Capital SE bought a new position in shares of Geopark in the first quarter worth about $204,000. Finally, Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Geopark in the first quarter worth about $220,000. Institutional investors own 68.21% of the company’s stock.

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.