VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) Short Interest Update

VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,600,000 shares, an increase of 8.2% from the November 30th total of 4,250,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 905,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.1 days.

VAALCO Energy Price Performance

Shares of VAALCO Energy stock opened at $4.37 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $5.02 and a 200 day moving average of $5.83. VAALCO Energy has a 12 month low of $4.03 and a 12 month high of $7.51. The firm has a market cap of $453.36 million, a PE ratio of 5.14 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 11th. The energy company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by ($0.04). VAALCO Energy had a net margin of 17.93% and a return on equity of 15.63%. The firm had revenue of $140.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $128.64 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.07 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that VAALCO Energy will post 0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

VAALCO Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.72%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. VAALCO Energy’s payout ratio is 29.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered VAALCO Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On VAALCO Energy

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Zacks Investment Management lifted its stake in shares of VAALCO Energy by 19.6% in the 3rd quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 15,419 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 2,527 shares during the last quarter. Lakewood Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of VAALCO Energy by 7.5% in the third quarter. Lakewood Asset Management LLC now owns 47,424 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 3,314 shares during the period. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of VAALCO Energy by 5.1% in the second quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 79,559 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $499,000 after buying an additional 3,836 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of VAALCO Energy by 2.4% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 168,581 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,057,000 after buying an additional 3,978 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of VAALCO Energy by 25.9% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 19,352 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 3,978 shares during the period. 50.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

VAALCO Energy Company Profile

VAALCO Energy, Inc, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in Gabon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, and Canada. The company holds 58.8% interest in the Etame production sharing contract related to the Etame Marin block covering an area of approximately 46,200 gross acres located offshore in the Republic of Gabon in West Africa.