Barrick Gold Corp (NYSE:GOLD) Holdings Lifted by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Barrick Gold Corp (NYSE:GOLD - Free Report) TSE: ABX by 100.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 74,788 shares of the gold and copper producer's stock after acquiring an additional 37,453 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP's holdings in Barrick Gold were worth $1,159,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of GOLD. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Barrick Gold in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Barrick Gold in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Barrick Gold by 619.7% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 3,073 shares of the gold and copper producer's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 2,646 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in Barrick Gold by 196.9% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 4,178 shares of the gold and copper producer's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Barrick Gold during the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.85% of the company's stock.

Barrick Gold Stock Down 3.0%

GOLD stock traded down $0.58 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $18.83. 21,204,009 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,676,024. The company has a current ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. Barrick Gold Corp has a 12-month low of $15.11 and a 12-month high of $21.35. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $19.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.25.

Barrick Gold (NYSE:GOLD - Get Free Report) TSE: ABX last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The gold and copper producer reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.15 billion. Barrick Gold had a return on equity of 6.76% and a net margin of 16.59%. The business's revenue was up 13.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.19 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Barrick Gold Corp will post 1.47 EPS for the current year.

Barrick Gold announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the gold and copper producer to buy up to 3.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Barrick Gold Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Barrick Gold's payout ratio is currently 30.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GOLD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. National Bankshares reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Barrick Gold in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stifel Canada raised Barrick Gold to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. National Bank Financial raised Barrick Gold to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Bank of America downgraded Barrick Gold from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $21.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on Barrick Gold from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Barrick Gold has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.05.

Barrick Gold Profile

Barrick Gold Corporation is a sector-leading gold and copper producer.  Its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GOLD and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ABX.   In January 2019 Barrick merged with Randgold Resources and in July that year it combined its gold mines in Nevada, USA, with those of Newmont Corporation in a joint venture, Nevada Gold Mines, which is majority-owned and operated by Barrick.