Aura Minerals (NASDAQ:AUGO) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Aura Minerals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUGO) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $60.50, but opened at $63.85. Aura Minerals shares last traded at $63.6470, with a volume of 82,514 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aura Minerals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Aura Minerals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Aura Minerals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.60.

Aura Minerals Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.44 billion and a P/E ratio of 60.18. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $72.65 and a 200-day moving average of $71.57.

Aura Minerals (NASDAQ:AUGO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The company reported $999.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Aura Minerals had a return on equity of 111.96% and a net margin of 7.80%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Aura Minerals Inc. will post 7.78 EPS for the current year.

Aura Minerals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. This is a boost from Aura Minerals’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. Aura Minerals’s dividend payout ratio is 288.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aura Minerals

In other news, CEO Rodrigo Cardoso Barbosa sold 55,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.63, for a total value of $4,544,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 739,745 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,125,129.35. The trade was a 6.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Luvizotto Glauber Rosa sold 22,367 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.27, for a total transaction of $1,459,894.09. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 411,938 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,887,193.26. The trade was a 5.15% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 384,082 shares of company stock valued at $29,210,716 over the last ninety days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aura Minerals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Citigroup Inc. bought a new position in shares of Aura Minerals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,997,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in Aura Minerals during the third quarter worth about $782,000. Geo Capital Gestora de Recursos Ltd bought a new stake in Aura Minerals during the third quarter worth about $2,802,000. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new position in Aura Minerals during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,988,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Aura Minerals during the third quarter valued at approximately $108,000.

About Aura Minerals

We are an Americas gold and copper production company with a significant portfolio of mining operations. Our mission is to deliver long-term value by unlocking operational efficiencies, responsibly growing our portfolio with a focus on return on invested capital, responsible mining practices and a commitment to sustainability. We operate with a decentralized culture, supported by a lean corporate team that ensures agile and dynamic management and decision-making processes, focused on high operational sustainability compliance standards.