American Century Companies Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Vaalco Energy Inc $EGY

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Vaalco Energy Inc (NYSE:EGY) by 7.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,740,856 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 316,570 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 4.55% of Vaalco Energy worth $19,058,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Vaalco Energy by 14.5% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 54,171 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 6,840 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Vaalco Energy by 32.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 737,435 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,773,000 after purchasing an additional 182,489 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in Vaalco Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $136,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Vaalco Energy by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 573,580 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,157,000 after purchasing an additional 30,295 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.32% of the company’s stock.

Vaalco Energy Stock Down 1.0%

EGY stock opened at $5.35 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $557.26 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.80 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.05. The business’s 50-day moving average is $4.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.11. Vaalco Energy Inc has a fifty-two week low of $3.00 and a fifty-two week high of $5.60.

Vaalco Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. Vaalco Energy’s payout ratio is 92.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EGY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vaalco Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vaalco Energy from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Loop Capital set a $7.30 price target on shares of Vaalco Energy in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Vaalco Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vaalco Energy presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $7.30.

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.