Franklin Resources Inc. Grows Stake in Gulfport Energy Corporation $GPOR

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Gulfport Energy Corporation (NYSE:GPOR) by 53.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,511 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,658 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.06% of Gulfport Energy worth $2,114,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of GPOR. Toth Financial Advisory Corp bought a new stake in Gulfport Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $85,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Gulfport Energy by 50.5% during the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Gulfport Energy by 1,360.5% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 628 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Gulfport Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $239,000. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Gulfport Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $263,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GPOR. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Gulfport Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. William Blair began coverage on Gulfport Energy in a research report on Monday, August 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Roth Capital initiated coverage on shares of Gulfport Energy in a research note on Monday, October 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Tudor Pickering lowered shares of Gulfport Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Gulfport Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $221.25.

Gulfport Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:GPOR opened at $217.50 on Thursday. Gulfport Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $153.27 and a 52-week high of $225.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market capitalization of $4.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -114.47 and a beta of 0.60. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $195.16.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jason Joseph Martinez sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.57, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 12.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Timothy J. Cutt sold 2,635 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.45, for a total transaction of $554,535.75. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 35,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,465,292.85. This trade represents a 6.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 294,795 shares of company stock worth $64,658,224. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Gulfport Energy Company 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.