B2Gold Corp. (NYSE:BTG) Stock Holdings Boosted by CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in B2Gold Corp. (NYSE:BTG - Free Report) by 23.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 720,529 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 135,948 shares during the quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned about 0.05% of B2Gold worth $1,752,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BTG. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in B2Gold in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in B2Gold by 176.1% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 12,935 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 8,250 shares in the last quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors purchased a new stake in B2Gold during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in B2Gold by 45.4% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 16,933 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 5,288 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in B2Gold in the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. 61.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Cormark upgraded B2Gold from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Bank of America lowered B2Gold from a "buy" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. TD Securities downgraded shares of B2Gold from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Scotiabank raised shares of B2Gold from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $4.50 price objective on shares of B2Gold in a report on Friday, April 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $4.21.

B2Gold Stock Performance

Shares of B2Gold stock traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $2.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 21,602,999 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,313,942. B2Gold Corp. has a one year low of $2.20 and a one year high of $3.51. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $2.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $2.83. 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 stock has a market cap of $3.86 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 0.93.

B2Gold Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $0.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. B2Gold's payout ratio is currently -16.67%.

About B2Gold

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.