Franklin Resources Inc. Acquires 3,658 Shares of Gulfport Energy Corporation $GPOR

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Gulfport Energy Corporation (NYSE:GPOR) by 53.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,511 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,658 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Gulfport Energy were worth $2,114,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in Gulfport Energy by 49.3% in the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 565,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $113,700,000 after buying an additional 186,531 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Gulfport Energy by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 332,557 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,912,000 after purchasing an additional 31,682 shares during the period. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Gulfport Energy by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. now owns 163,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,823,000 after purchasing an additional 7,000 shares during the last quarter. Canoe Financial LP purchased a new stake in Gulfport Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $13,257,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its stake in Gulfport Energy by 337.6% in the second quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 61,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,412,000 after purchasing an additional 47,600 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Gulfport Energy from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Roth Capital assumed coverage on Gulfport Energy in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research raised shares of Gulfport Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Gulfport Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Gulfport Energy from $240.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.25.

Gulfport Energy Price Performance

Shares of Gulfport Energy stock opened at $217.50 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $4.20 billion, a PE ratio of -114.47 and a beta of 0.60. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $195.16. Gulfport Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $153.27 and a 1 year high of $225.78.

Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.64 by ($1.51). Gulfport Energy had a return on equity of 20.95% and a net margin of 1.68%.The business had revenue of $379.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $343.18 million.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jason Joseph Martinez sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.57, for a total value of $102,942.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $735,692.16. The trade was a 12.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David D. Wolf sold 1,525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.27, for a total value of $320,661.75. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $938,224.74. The trade was a 25.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 294,795 shares of company stock worth $64,658,224 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Gulfport Energy Profile

Gulfport Energy Corporation engages in the exploration, development, acquisition, production of natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids (NGL) in the United States. Its principal properties include Utica Shale covering an area approximately 187,000 net reservoir acres primarily located in Eastern Ohio; and SCOOP covering an area approximately 74,000 net reservoir acres primarily located in Garvin, Grady, and Stephens.