Vaalco Energy Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:EGY)

Vaalco Energy Inc (NYSE:EGY) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock investors acquired 2,437 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 389% compared to the average daily volume of 498 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vaalco Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Vaalco Energy during the second quarter valued at $41,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new position in shares of Vaalco Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $61,000. SmartHarvest Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vaalco Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $62,000. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vaalco Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $63,000. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Vaalco Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $86,000. 50.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on EGY shares. Wall Street Zen raised Vaalco Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vaalco Energy from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating. According to MarketBeat, Vaalco Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $7.30.

Vaalco Energy Stock Up 3.1%

NYSE EGY traded up $0.18 on Friday, hitting $6.20. 415,010 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,397,264. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $5.93 and a 200 day moving average of $5.73. Vaalco Energy has a twelve month low of $3.36 and a twelve month high of $6.72. The company has a market capitalization of $651.66 million, a P/E ratio of -5.85 and a beta of 0.24.

Vaalco Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. Vaalco Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently -23.58%.

Vaalco Energy Company Profile

VAALCO Energy, Inc is an independent energy company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas. The company’s portfolio is focused primarily on assets in Africa and other international markets, with activities spanning exploration, field development, production operations and related infrastructure.

VAALCO has historically operated the Etame Marin field offshore Gabon, one of its principal producing assets. The company has also expanded its international portfolio through interests in Egypt and Equatorial Guinea, giving it exposure to both offshore and onshore oil operations.