VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,210,000 shares, a drop of 8.5% from the December 15th total of 4,600,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 912,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.6 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

VAALCO Energy Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:EGY opened at $4.55 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $4.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.68. VAALCO Energy has a one year low of $4.03 and a one year high of $7.51. The firm has a market cap of $471.50 million, a P/E ratio of 5.35 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.34.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 11th. The energy company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $140.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $128.64 million. VAALCO Energy had a return on equity of 15.63% and a net margin of 17.93%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.07 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that VAALCO Energy will post 0.43 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. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. VAALCO Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.41%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On VAALCO Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of VAALCO Energy by 46.2% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 28,289 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 8,937 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in VAALCO Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $351,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in VAALCO Energy by 172.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 152,798 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $877,000 after acquiring an additional 96,627 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in VAALCO Energy by 362.2% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 48,965 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 38,372 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of VAALCO Energy during the third quarter worth $308,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.32% of the company’s stock.

About VAALCO Energy

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.