B2Gold (NYSEAMERICAN:BTG) Stock Sees Unusually High Call Option Buying

B2Gold Corp (NYSEAMERICAN:BTG) (TSE:BTO) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Investors bought 35,966 call options on the company. This is an increase of 146% compared to the average daily volume of 14,618 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial raised their target price on B2Gold from $7.25 to $7.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. TD Securities raised shares of B2Gold from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of B2Gold from $5.00 to $6.25 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of B2Gold from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce raised shares of B2Gold from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $7.50 price target for the company in a report on Monday, August 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $6.81.

B2Gold Stock Up 2.8%

BTG stock traded up $0.15 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $5.47. 8,694,144 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 30,588,662. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $4.93 and its 200-day moving average is $4.65. B2Gold has a 12 month low of $3.57 and a 12 month high of $6.28. The company has a market cap of $7.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.95, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

B2Gold (NYSEAMERICAN:BTG) (TSE:BTO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.04). B2Gold had a return on equity of 17.05% and a net margin of 21.47%.The business had revenue of $789.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $836.33 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.12 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that B2Gold will post 0.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of B2Gold

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Themes Management Co LLC grew its position in shares of B2Gold by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Themes Management Co LLC now owns 230,260 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,046,000 after buying an additional 2,641 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its stake in B2Gold by 16.1% during the first quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 42,352 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $192,000 after acquiring an additional 5,876 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. bought a new position in B2Gold during the second quarter worth $37,000. Parkway Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in B2Gold in the first quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in B2Gold in the second quarter valued at $41,000. Institutional investors own 61.40% of the company’s stock.

About B2Gold

B2Gold Corp. is a Canadian-based gold producer engaged in the exploration, development, and operation of gold mines. The company produces gold doré and sells its output to refiners and other customers. Its portfolio includes the Fekola complex in Mali, the Masbate mine in the Philippines, and the Otjikoto mine in Namibia.

Founded in 2007 by former executives of Bema Gold Corporation, B2Gold has grown from an exploration and development company into an international gold producer. In addition to operating mines, the company conducts exploration and evaluates development opportunities intended to expand and sustain its production base.

B2Gold is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, and has operations and projects across Africa, Asia, and other regions.