Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $281,000 Position in VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY)

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) by 362.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,965 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 38,372 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in VAALCO Energy were worth $281,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new stake in shares of VAALCO Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,000,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI increased its holdings in shares of VAALCO Energy by 124.9% in the third quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 34,750 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $199,000 after purchasing an additional 19,300 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of VAALCO Energy during the third quarter worth $60,000. Crestmont Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in VAALCO Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in VAALCO Energy by 32.0% in the third quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 325,218 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,867,000 after buying an additional 78,932 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 50.32% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

VAALCO Energy Price Performance

Shares of EGY opened at $5.23 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $5.71 and its 200-day moving average is $6.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $542.58 million, a PE ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 1.19. VAALCO Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $4.03 and a fifty-two week high of $7.51.

VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 11th. The energy company reported $0.08 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $140.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $128.64 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.07 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that VAALCO Energy, Inc. will post 0.5 EPS for the current year.

VAALCO Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd will be given a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.78%. VAALCO Energy’s payout ratio is 29.41%.

VAALCO Energy 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.