Ruffer LLP Sells 1,267,552 Shares of B2Gold Corp. $BTG

Key Points

• Ruffer LLP reduced its stake in B2Gold Corp. by 27.2%, selling 1,267,552 shares, and now owns approximately 0.26% of the company, valued at about $12.26 million.
• B2Gold's quarterly earnings report showed a miss on EPS estimates, reporting $0.12 compared to the expected $0.13, despite a 40.5% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.02 per share, representing a 1.6% dividend yield but with a negative payout ratio of -22.86%.

Ruffer LLP lessened its holdings in B2Gold Corp. (NYSE:BTG - Free Report) by 27.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,395,988 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,267,552 shares during the period. Ruffer LLP owned about 0.26% of B2Gold worth $12,260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of B2Gold by 89.3% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,707,775 shares of the company's stock worth $7,717,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277,357 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of B2Gold by 181.7% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 8,158,787 shares of the company's stock worth $23,253,000 after purchasing an additional 5,262,266 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in shares of B2Gold in the 1st quarter worth approximately $238,000. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of B2Gold by 33.3% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 10,849,897 shares of the company's stock worth $31,682,000 after purchasing an additional 2,710,857 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of B2Gold in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,342,000. Institutional investors own 61.40% of the company's stock.

B2Gold Trading Down 1.6%

B2Gold stock opened at $4.85 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $6.42 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.10, a PEG ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.08. B2Gold Corp. has a 1 year low of $2.20 and a 1 year high of $4.99. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $3.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.50.

B2Gold (NYSE:BTG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. B2Gold's revenue for the quarter was up 40.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.06 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that B2Gold Corp. will post 0.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

B2Gold Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 10th were given a dividend of $0.02 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 10th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. B2Gold's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -22.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on BTG. Zacks Research cut shares of B2Gold from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of B2Gold to a "moderate buy" rating and set a $4.50 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 30th. National Bankshares restated an "outperform" rating on shares of B2Gold in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, CIBC restated a "neutral" rating and set a $4.00 target price (up previously from $3.60) on shares of B2Gold in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, B2Gold presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $4.50.

B2Gold 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.

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