Squarepoint Ops LLC Takes $497,000 Position in VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY)

Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in shares of VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 113,831 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $497,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned 0.11% of VAALCO Energy as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in VAALCO Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,515,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of VAALCO Energy by 51.1% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,468,093 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $10,784,000 after purchasing an additional 834,398 shares during the last quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of VAALCO Energy by 34.5% during the 4th quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP now owns 1,950,000 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $8,522,000 after purchasing an additional 500,000 shares during the last quarter. Tieton Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of VAALCO Energy by 23.0% during the fourth quarter. Tieton Capital Management LLC now owns 1,805,053 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $7,888,000 after purchasing an additional 337,644 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in VAALCO Energy by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,901,984 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $17,052,000 after buying an additional 312,576 shares during the last quarter. 50.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut VAALCO Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th.

VAALCO Energy Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of VAALCO Energy stock opened at $3.33 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $3.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.05. VAALCO Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $3.00 and a 12-month high of $7.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The stock has a market cap of $345.72 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.87.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06. VAALCO Energy had a net margin of 17.93% and a return on equity of 15.63%. The firm had revenue of $110.33 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.30 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that VAALCO Energy, Inc. will post 0.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

VAALCO Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.51%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. VAALCO Energy’s payout ratio is currently 45.45%.

Insider Activity at VAALCO Energy

In other news, COO Thor Pruckl sold 10,169 shares of VAALCO Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.95, for a total value of $40,167.55. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 174,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $691,218.40. The trade was a 5.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

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.