B2Gold Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:BTG)

B2Gold Corp. (NYSE:BTG) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders bought 19,442 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 590% compared to the average daily volume of 2,817 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded B2Gold from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of B2Gold from $3.50 to $4.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Cormark downgraded shares of B2Gold from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. CIBC boosted their price target on shares of B2Gold from $3.40 to $3.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Scotiabank cut shares of B2Gold from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3.75.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On B2Gold

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new stake in B2Gold in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft purchased a new position in shares of B2Gold in the second quarter worth $42,000. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in B2Gold during the 2nd quarter valued at $57,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its position in B2Gold by 69.3% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 22,615 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 9,258 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in B2Gold by 31.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 33,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 7,974 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.40% of the company’s stock.

B2Gold Price Performance

NYSE BTG traded down $0.10 on Thursday, reaching $2.79. 5,081,002 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,505,728. The firm has a market cap of $3.65 billion, a PE ratio of -96.33, a PEG ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.12. B2Gold has a 12 month low of $2.34 and a 12 month high of $3.46. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $2.78. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

B2Gold Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.04 per share. This represents a $0.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 10th. B2Gold’s dividend payout ratio is currently -533.33%.

About B2Gold

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.