B2Gold (NYSE:BTG) Shares Gap Up - Here's Why

B2Gold Corp. (NYSE:BTG - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $2.94, but opened at $3.04. B2Gold shares last traded at $3.00, with a volume of 4,772,014 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BTG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $4.50 target price on shares of B2Gold in a research note on Friday, April 4th. TD Securities cut shares of B2Gold from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Cormark raised B2Gold from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. National Bankshares restated an "outperform" rating on shares of B2Gold in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank raised shares of B2Gold from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $4.21.

B2Gold Trading Up 4.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.83. The company has a 50 day moving average of $3.03 and a 200 day moving average of $2.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 0.43.

B2Gold (NYSE:BTG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.01. B2Gold had a negative net margin of 33.12% and a positive return on equity of 5.65%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.06 EPS. B2Gold's quarterly revenue was up 15.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that B2Gold Corp. will post 0.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

B2Gold Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 11th will be issued a $0.02 dividend. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 11th. B2Gold's dividend payout ratio is currently -16.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On B2Gold

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. acquired a new position in B2Gold in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Independent Wealth Network Inc. acquired a new position in shares of B2Gold in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Groupama Asset Managment purchased a new position in shares of B2Gold during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of B2Gold during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Kercheville Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of B2Gold during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. 61.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

B2Gold Company Profile

B2Gold Corp. operates as a gold producer company. It operates the Fekola Mine in Mali, the Masbate Mine in the Philippines, and the Otjikoto Mine in Namibia. The company also has an 100% interest in the Gramalote gold project in Colombia; 24% interest in the Calibre Mining Corp.; and approximately 19% interest in BeMetals Corp.