Traders Purchase Large Volume of B2Gold Put Options (NYSE:BTG)

B2Gold Corp. (NYSE:BTG) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders bought 14,078 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 257% compared to the average daily volume of 3,947 put options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BTG. CIBC increased their price target on shares of B2Gold from $3.30 to $3.60 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Cormark raised B2Gold from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. TD Securities cut B2Gold from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Bank of America lowered B2Gold from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $4.12.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On B2Gold

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BTG. Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. bought a new position in B2Gold during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC bought a new stake in B2Gold during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in B2Gold during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new position in B2Gold during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in B2Gold in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.40% of the company’s stock.

B2Gold Price Performance

Shares of BTG stock traded down $0.08 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $3.23. The company had a trading volume of 23,209,341 shares, compared to its average volume of 34,684,180. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.72, a PEG ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.09. B2Gold has a 12 month low of $2.20 and a 12 month high of $3.50. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $2.62 and its 200 day moving average is $2.82.

B2Gold Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.02 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. B2Gold’s dividend payout ratio is currently -16.67%.

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.