Aura Minerals (NASDAQ:AUGO) Trading 8.4% Higher - Here's Why

Key Points

• Aura Minerals shares rose 8.4% in Tuesday trading, reaching as high as $57.65 after closing at $53.51 the prior day, though volume was far below normal.
• Recent analyst activity was mixed but still points to a Moderate Buy consensus, with three Buy ratings, two Hold ratings, and an average price target of $83.93.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.78 per share, or $3.12 annualized, for a 5.5% yield, while insiders have also been notable sellers in recent months.

Aura Minerals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUGO - Get Free Report) shares were up 8.4% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $57.65 and last traded at $58.0170. Approximately 93,017 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 1,006,066 shares. The stock had previously closed at $53.51.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AUGO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aura Minerals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings cut Aura Minerals from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Aura Minerals from $122.00 to $94.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Aura Minerals from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Aura Minerals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $83.93.

Aura Minerals Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $4.75 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.61.

Aura Minerals (NASDAQ:AUGO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $382.61 million for the quarter. Aura Minerals had a return on equity of 111.96% and a net margin of 7.80%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Aura Minerals Inc. will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Aura Minerals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 19th were given a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.5%. This is a boost from Aura Minerals's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 19th. Aura Minerals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 288.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aura Minerals

In other Aura Minerals news, COO Luvizotto Glauber Rosa sold 22,367 shares of Aura Minerals 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 sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 411,938 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,887,193.26. The trade was a 5.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Santos Cardoso Joao Kleber Dos sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.95, for a total value of $3,717,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 118,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,316,976.45. The trade was a 33.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 403,092 shares of company stock worth $30,450,738 in the last three months.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda bought a new position in shares of Aura Minerals during the first quarter valued at $4,298,000. Wealth High Governance Asset Management Ltda. acquired a new stake in shares of Aura Minerals during the 1st quarter worth about $3,645,000. Rathbones Group PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aura Minerals during the 1st quarter worth about $245,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Aura Minerals by 42.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 977,212 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,740,000 after purchasing an additional 291,623 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Absolute Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. bought a new position in Aura Minerals during the 1st quarter valued at about $306,000.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.