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

Shares of Aura Minerals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUGO) gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $63.37, but opened at $60.29. Aura Minerals shares last traded at $59.4130, with a volume of 141,338 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Aura Minerals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Aura Minerals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Aura Minerals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Aura Minerals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.60.

Aura Minerals Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $70.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.09. The firm has a market cap of $4.99 billion and a PE ratio of 55.02.

Aura Minerals (NASDAQ:AUGO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $382.61 million for the quarter. Aura Minerals had a net margin of 7.80% and a return on equity of 111.96%. Sell-side analysts expect that Aura Minerals Inc. will post 7.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aura Minerals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.2%. This is a positive change from Aura Minerals’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. Aura Minerals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 288.89%.

Insider Activity

In other Aura Minerals news, COO Luvizotto Glauber Rosa sold 22,367 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $26,887,193.26. The trade was a 5.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Mauad Bruno Sousa sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.48, for a total value of $7,748,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 434,965 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,701,088.20. This trade represents a 18.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 403,092 shares of company stock valued at $30,450,738.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in Aura Minerals in the third quarter valued at $60,284,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Aura Minerals by 42.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 977,212 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,740,000 after purchasing an additional 291,623 shares during the period. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda increased its holdings in shares of Aura Minerals by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda now owns 877,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,225,000 after purchasing an additional 71,289 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new position in shares of Aura Minerals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,097,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in shares of Aura Minerals by 32.7% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 623,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,439,000 after purchasing an additional 153,828 shares during the period.

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.