Vaalco Energy (NYSE:EGY) Shares Cross Above 200-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Shares of Vaalco Energy Inc (NYSE:EGY) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $4.89 and traded as high as $5.27. Vaalco Energy shares last traded at $5.2250, with a volume of 1,271,416 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on EGY. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vaalco Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vaalco Energy from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Vaalco Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $7.30.

Vaalco Energy Trading Down 1.8%

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $6.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $4.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of $544.76 million, a PE ratio of -3.81 and a beta of 0.17.

Vaalco Energy (NYSE:EGY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The energy company reported ($0.45) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.44). Vaalco Energy had a negative return on equity of 12.74% and a negative net margin of 45.86%.The company had revenue of $62.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $78.20 million. Analysts anticipate that Vaalco Energy Inc will post 0.11 EPS for the current year.

Vaalco Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.8%. Vaalco Energy’s payout ratio is currently -18.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EGY. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in Vaalco Energy by 154.9% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,326,729 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $4,829,000 after acquiring an additional 806,283 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in Vaalco Energy by 125.9% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,214,918 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $7,703,000 after acquiring an additional 677,176 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Vaalco Energy by 228.0% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 744,296 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,799,000 after acquiring an additional 517,368 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Vaalco Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,638,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Vaalco Energy by 10.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,028,909 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $25,545,000 after acquiring an additional 389,058 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.32% of the company’s stock.

About Vaalco Energy

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.