Aura Minerals (NASDAQ:AUGO) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Aura Minerals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUGO) shares gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $66.42, but opened at $71.79. Aura Minerals shares last traded at $71.48, with a volume of 149,514 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on AUGO. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Aura Minerals from $46.60 to $52.80 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Zacks Research raised shares of Aura Minerals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Aura Minerals in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Aura Minerals in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Aura Minerals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aura Minerals has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.60.

Aura Minerals Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of -63.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $72.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.41.

Aura Minerals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th were issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Aura Minerals’s dividend payout ratio is presently -251.43%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Rodrigo Cardoso Barbosa sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.75, for a total transaction of $308,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 854,745 shares in the company, valued at $52,780,503.75. This trade represents a 0.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Institutional Trading of Aura Minerals

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AUGO. Capital World Investors bought a new position in shares of Aura Minerals in the third quarter valued at approximately $60,284,000. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new stake in Aura Minerals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,988,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. bought a new stake in Aura Minerals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,097,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Aura Minerals during the 3rd quarter valued at $17,623,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in Aura Minerals during the 3rd quarter valued at $17,483,000.

Aura Minerals Company Profile

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.