VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) was the target of a large growth in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,310,000 shares, a growth of 9.7% from the October 31st total of 3,930,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 885,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.9 days.

VAALCO Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EGY traded down $0.20 on Wednesday, hitting $4.81. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 791,775 shares, compared to its average volume of 981,418. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.06. VAALCO Energy has a 1 year low of $4.03 and a 1 year high of $7.51. The company has a market capitalization of $498.99 million, a PE ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.32.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 11th. The energy company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $140.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $128.64 million. VAALCO Energy had a net margin of 17.93% and a return on equity of 15.63%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.07 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that VAALCO Energy will post 0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

VAALCO Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.20%. VAALCO Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 29.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut VAALCO Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On VAALCO Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of EGY. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of VAALCO Energy by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,024,145 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $41,988,000 after buying an additional 124,853 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in VAALCO Energy by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 65,678 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $458,000 after acquiring an additional 4,590 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC grew its position in VAALCO Energy by 13.8% during the 2nd quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 13,617 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 1,648 shares during the last quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC grew its position in VAALCO Energy by 11.1% during the 2nd quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 246,286 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,544,000 after acquiring an additional 24,691 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in VAALCO Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $96,000. 50.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.