Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Vaalco Energy Call Options (NYSE:EGY)

Vaalco Energy Inc (NYSE:EGY) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Traders purchased 25,863 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 6,073% compared to the typical volume of 419 call options.

Institutional Trading of Vaalco Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Creative Planning grew its stake in Vaalco Energy by 354.2% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 268,939 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $971,000 after buying an additional 209,724 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Vaalco Energy by 545.7% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 7,380 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 6,237 shares in the last quarter. CSM Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vaalco Energy during the second quarter worth about $6,608,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new position in shares of Vaalco Energy during the second quarter valued at about $2,770,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vaalco Energy by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,943,706 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $10,629,000 after purchasing an additional 162,023 shares during the last quarter. 50.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vaalco Energy Stock Performance

Shares of EGY stock opened at $5.17 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $539.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.16 and a beta of 0.22. Vaalco Energy has a 52-week low of $3.00 and a 52-week high of $5.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company’s 50 day moving average is $3.81 and its 200 day moving average is $3.84.

Vaalco Energy (NYSE:EGY) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The energy company reported ($0.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $61.01 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $74.30 million. Vaalco Energy had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 1.02%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vaalco Energy will post 0.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vaalco Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st were issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.8%. Vaalco Energy’s payout ratio is currently 92.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EGY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Vaalco Energy from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Loop Capital set a $7.30 target price on shares of Vaalco Energy in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Vaalco Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.