VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) Short Interest Update

VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,210,000 shares, a decrease of 8.5% from the December 15th total of 4,600,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 912,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.6 days.

VAALCO Energy Price Performance

EGY opened at $4.55 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $4.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.67. VAALCO Energy has a 12-month low of $4.03 and a 12-month high of $7.51. The firm has a market cap of $477.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.35 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 11th. The energy company reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.12 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $140.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $128.64 million. VAALCO Energy had a return on equity of 15.63% and a net margin of 17.93%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.07 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that VAALCO Energy will post 0.43 earnings per share for the current year.

VAALCO Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. VAALCO Energy’s payout ratio is currently 29.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of VAALCO Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in VAALCO Energy by 7,129.3% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 895,210 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $5,613,000 after purchasing an additional 882,827 shares in the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of VAALCO Energy by 156.8% during the third quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 1,200,474 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $6,891,000 after buying an additional 733,084 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in VAALCO Energy by 33.2% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,813,832 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $17,643,000 after acquiring an additional 701,568 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in VAALCO Energy by 66.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 962,824 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $5,527,000 after acquiring an additional 386,071 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in VAALCO Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $1,676,000. 50.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About VAALCO Energy

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.