Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 1,089,501 Shares of B2Gold Corp. $BTG

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in B2Gold Corp. by 2.1%, owning approximately 4.10% of the company with a value of $153.75 million after acquiring more shares in the 1st quarter.
• B2Gold announced a quarterly dividend of $0.02 per share, set to be paid on September 23rd, representing a 2.1% yield.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on B2Gold, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a target price of $4.31, while the company reported an earnings miss of $0.12 EPS against the expected $0.13 EPS.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in B2Gold Corp. (NYSE:BTG - Free Report) by 2.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 54,099,978 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,089,501 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 4.10% of B2Gold worth $153,752,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in B2Gold by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 24,389,363 shares of the company's stock worth $59,510,000 after purchasing an additional 130,638 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its holdings in shares of B2Gold by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 20,675,400 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,448,000 after purchasing an additional 2,799,520 shares in the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of B2Gold by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 8,800,628 shares of the company's stock worth $21,490,000 after buying an additional 446,601 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of B2Gold by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 8,170,114 shares of the company's stock worth $20,033,000 after buying an additional 468,786 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in shares of B2Gold by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 7,538,857 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,395,000 after buying an additional 417,070 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.40% of the company's stock.

B2Gold Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of B2Gold stock traded up $0.10 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $4.05. 20,934,122 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 41,573,594. The stock has a market cap of $5.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.44, a PEG ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $3.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3.26. B2Gold Corp. has a twelve month low of $2.20 and a twelve month high of $4.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.83.

B2Gold (NYSE:BTG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.13 by ($0.01). B2Gold had a negative net margin of 33.12% and a positive return on equity of 5.65%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 40.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.06 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that B2Gold Corp. will post 0.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

B2Gold Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be issued a $0.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 10th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. B2Gold's dividend payout ratio is currently -22.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BTG. CIBC reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $4.00 price objective (up from $3.60) on shares of B2Gold in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Zacks Research downgraded B2Gold from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of B2Gold to a "moderate buy" rating and set a $4.50 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, June 30th. National Bankshares restated an "outperform" rating on shares of B2Gold in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of B2Gold from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $4.31.

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.