VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) Short Interest Up 9.7% in November

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

VAALCO Energy Stock Performance

NYSE EGY traded down $0.24 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $4.77. The stock had a trading volume of 1,074,576 shares, compared to its average volume of 981,984. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.34. VAALCO Energy has a 52-week low of $4.03 and a 52-week high of $7.51. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $5.61 and a 200 day moving average of $6.06. The stock has a market cap of $494.84 million, a P/E ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 1.18.

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

VAALCO Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be given 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 5.24%. VAALCO Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.41%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EGY. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake 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 during the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC raised its stake in VAALCO Energy by 156.8% in the 3rd quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 1,200,474 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $6,891,000 after purchasing an additional 733,084 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in VAALCO Energy by 33.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,813,832 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $17,643,000 after purchasing an additional 701,568 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in VAALCO Energy by 66.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 962,824 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $5,527,000 after purchasing an additional 386,071 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new position in VAALCO Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,676,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.32% of the company’s stock.

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.