Wall Street Zen Upgrades Vaalco Energy (NYSE:EGY) to Hold

Vaalco Energy (NYSE:EGY) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday.

EGY has been the subject of several other reports. Zacks Research upgraded Vaalco Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Vaalco Energy in a report on Friday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $7.30.

Vaalco Energy Price Performance

EGY opened at $5.78 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $5.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Vaalco Energy has a 1 year low of $3.36 and a 1 year high of $6.72. The stock has a market cap of $607.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.45 and a beta of 0.10.

Institutional Trading of Vaalco Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EGY. Tieton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vaalco Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $9,324,000. UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in Vaalco Energy by 154.9% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,326,729 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $4,829,000 after purchasing an additional 806,283 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in Vaalco Energy by 125.9% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,214,918 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $7,703,000 after purchasing an additional 677,176 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in Vaalco Energy by 6.7% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 8,936,762 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $45,399,000 after purchasing an additional 558,168 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 517,368 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.32% of the company’s stock.

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.