B2Gold (NYSE:BTG) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

B2Gold Corp. (NYSE:BTG) saw strong trading volume on Friday . 19,885,245 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 16% from the previous session’s volume of 17,105,226 shares.The stock last traded at $3.01 and had previously closed at $2.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Cormark upgraded B2Gold from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. TD Securities downgraded shares of B2Gold from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America downgraded B2Gold from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, CIBC lowered their target price on B2Gold from $3.70 to $3.30 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, B2Gold currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $4.02.

B2Gold Trading Up 1.6 %

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $2.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.88 billion, a PE ratio of -6.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

B2Gold Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $0.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.72%. B2Gold’s payout ratio is currently -16.67%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BTG. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its stake in B2Gold by 35.0% in the third quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 13,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in B2Gold by 45.4% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 16,933 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 5,288 shares in the last quarter. Cadence Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of B2Gold by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Cadence Wealth Management LLC now owns 237,696 shares of the company’s stock valued at $580,000 after buying an additional 7,990 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of B2Gold by 176.1% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 12,935 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 8,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KPP Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of B2Gold by 26.1% in the 3rd quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC now owns 44,450 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,000 after buying an additional 9,200 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.40% of the company’s stock.

B2Gold Company Profile

B2Gold Corp. operates as a gold producer company. It operates the Fekola Mine in Mali, the Masbate Mine in the Philippines, and the Otjikoto Mine in Namibia. The company also has an 100% interest in the Gramalote gold project in Colombia; 24% interest in the Calibre Mining Corp.; and approximately 19% interest in BeMetals Corp.