Sibanye Gold Limited (NYSE:SBSW) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Sibanye Gold Limited (NYSE:SBSW) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 14,812,476 shares, a decline of 17.3% from the January 15th total of 17,907,411 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 11,183,491 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days. Based on an average daily volume of 11,183,491 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days.

Sibanye Gold Price Performance

Sibanye Gold stock traded up $1.19 during trading on Monday, reaching $17.22. The company had a trading volume of 4,877,032 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,919,308. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 2.89 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.29. Sibanye Gold has a 52 week low of $3.05 and a 52 week high of $21.29.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SBSW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Sibanye Gold in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Sibanye Gold from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Sibanye Gold from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Sibanye Gold from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, HSBC raised Sibanye Gold from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.80 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.03.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Sibanye Gold by 113.9% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 39,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $183,000 after purchasing an additional 21,248 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Sibanye Gold by 363.7% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,171,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,526,000 after buying an additional 2,487,648 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sibanye Gold by 196.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,576,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,379,000 after acquiring an additional 2,370,443 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Sibanye Gold in the first quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sibanye Gold by 120.6% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 43,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 23,880 shares during the period. 34.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sibanye Gold Company Profile

Sibanye Gold (NYSE:SBSW) is a precious metals mining company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. The company’s core operations focus on the extraction, processing and exploration of gold. Through its South African gold mining operations, Sibanye Gold produces doré bars, gold in concentrate and carbon-in-leach product, leveraging both underground and surface mining techniques. The company also generates by-products such as uranium, copper and nickel, reflecting its commitment to maximizing resource recovery.

In addition to its South African footprint, Sibanye Gold has expanded into the platinum‐group metals (PGM) sector through its acquisition of Stillwater Mining Company in 2017.