VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) Lifted to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

VAALCO Energy Stock Performance

EGY opened at $6.73 on Thursday. VAALCO Energy has a twelve month low of $3.51 and a twelve month high of $7.51. The stock has a market cap of $695.01 million, a PE ratio of 12.02 and a beta of 1.29. The business’s 50 day moving average is $5.52 and its 200-day moving average is $4.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 13th. The energy company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.22. VAALCO Energy had a return on equity of 14.34% and a net margin of 13.26%. The company had revenue of $149.15 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $130.53 million. On average, analysts predict that VAALCO Energy will post 1.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On VAALCO Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EGY. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY increased its stake in shares of VAALCO Energy by 80.4% in the fourth quarter. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY now owns 6,446 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 2,872 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new position in shares of VAALCO Energy in the third quarter worth $38,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of VAALCO Energy in the first quarter worth $40,000. Prelude Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of VAALCO Energy in the third quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Zacks Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of VAALCO Energy in the second quarter worth $45,000. 50.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.