Aura Minerals (NASDAQ:AUGO) Upgraded by Zacks Research to “Hold” Rating

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Aura Minerals (NASDAQ:AUGO) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

AUGO has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings cut Aura Minerals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Aura Minerals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Three investment 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 stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.60.

Aura Minerals Price Performance

Shares of AUGO stock opened at $62.97 on Monday. 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 market capitalization of $5.28 billion and a P/E ratio of 58.31. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $73.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $71.46. Aura Minerals has a one year low of $22.24 and a one year high of $110.32.

Aura Minerals (NASDAQ:AUGO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The company reported $999.00 EPS for the quarter. Aura Minerals had a net margin of 7.80% and a return on equity of 111.96%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Aura Minerals will post 10.08 EPS for the current year.

Aura Minerals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were issued a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.0%. This is a boost from Aura Minerals’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Aura Minerals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 288.89%.

Insider Transactions at Aura Minerals

In related news, Director Mauad Bruno Sousa sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.48, for a total transaction of $7,748,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 434,965 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,701,088.20. This trade represents a 18.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Rodrigo Cardoso Barbosa sold 60,000 shares of Aura Minerals stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.43, for a total value of $4,885,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 794,745 shares in the company, valued at $64,716,085.35. This trade represents a 7.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 324,082 shares of company stock valued at $25,493,716.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Citigroup Inc. purchased a new stake in Aura Minerals during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,997,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Aura Minerals during the 3rd quarter valued at $782,000. Geo Capital Gestora de Recursos Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Aura Minerals in the 3rd quarter worth $2,802,000. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new stake in shares of Aura Minerals in the 3rd quarter worth $29,988,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new position in Aura Minerals during the 3rd quarter worth $108,000.

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.