B2Gold (NYSE:BTG) Sees Large Volume Increase – Should You Buy?

B2Gold Corp. (NYSE:BTG) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday . Approximately 20,283,257 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 10% from the previous session’s volume of 18,442,410 shares.The stock last traded at $2.87 and had previously closed at $3.17.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on BTG. TD Securities lowered B2Gold from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America downgraded shares of B2Gold from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Cormark raised shares of B2Gold from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, CIBC raised their price objective on shares of B2Gold from $3.30 to $3.60 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, B2Gold currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $4.12.

B2Gold Trading Down 9.1 %

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $2.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.80 billion, a PE ratio of -6.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.09.

B2Gold Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $0.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.78%. B2Gold’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -16.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On B2Gold

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BTG. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co acquired a new stake in B2Gold in the 4th quarter worth about $1,516,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in B2Gold by 56.7% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 1,019,331 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,501,000 after purchasing an additional 368,961 shares during the period. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Allianz Polska S.A. acquired a new position in B2Gold during the fourth quarter worth approximately $276,000. Vident Advisory LLC raised its stake in B2Gold by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 315,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $770,000 after purchasing an additional 45,915 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in shares of B2Gold by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 20,675,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,448,000 after purchasing an additional 2,799,520 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.40% of the company’s stock.

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.