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

Geopark Ltd (NYSE:GPRK) was the target of a significant 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. Based on an average trading volume of 430,621 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days. Currently, 2.8% of the company’s shares are sold short. Currently, 2.8% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 430,621 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Geopark Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Geopark stock traded up $0.01 during trading on Monday, reaching $7.64. 388,568 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 453,724. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $7.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $7.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $391.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.76 and a beta of 0.47. 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 twelve month low of $5.66 and a twelve month high of $11.19.

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

Geopark Cuts Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Geopark

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. UBS Group AG boosted its position in shares of Geopark by 81.5% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 981,131 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,250,000 after purchasing an additional 440,706 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in Geopark by 41.4% during the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 402,871 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,627,000 after buying an additional 117,909 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Geopark by 94.2% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 365,825 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,956,000 after buying an additional 177,496 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Geopark by 205.4% during the third quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 351,569 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,239,000 after acquiring an additional 236,458 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.