Marshall Wace LLP Sells 443,775 Shares of First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE:AG)

Marshall Wace LLP lessened its stake in shares of First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE:AG - Free Report) TSE: FR by 81.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 100,645 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 443,775 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP's holdings in First Majestic Silver were worth $553,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in First Majestic Silver by 897.8% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,759,181 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $20,638,000 after purchasing an additional 3,382,443 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP grew its stake in First Majestic Silver by 161.0% in the 4th quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 1,026,729 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $5,637,000 after buying an additional 633,413 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in First Majestic Silver by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,423,691 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $62,784,000 after acquiring an additional 598,996 shares during the period. Capital Fund Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of First Majestic Silver during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,486,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of First Majestic Silver during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,442,000. 27.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Majestic Silver Price Performance

Shares of First Majestic Silver stock traded down $0.54 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $5.72. 12,634,303 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 19,941,250. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a current ratio of 2.56. First Majestic Silver Corp. has a 12 month low of $4.43 and a 12 month high of $8.09. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $6.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.16. The stock has a market cap of $2.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.34 and a beta of 0.81.

First Majestic Silver (NYSE:AG - Get Free Report) TSE: FR last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The mining company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.06 by ($0.01). First Majestic Silver had a negative return on equity of 3.07% and a negative net margin of 18.17%. The company had revenue of $241.12 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $358.65 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.05) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 41.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that First Majestic Silver Corp. will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current year.

First Majestic Silver Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.0057 dividend. This is a positive change from First Majestic Silver's previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. First Majestic Silver's dividend payout ratio is currently -5.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AG has been the subject of several recent research reports. National Bankshares restated a "sector perform" rating on shares of First Majestic Silver in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $11.00 target price on shares of First Majestic Silver in a research report on Friday, February 21st. TD Securities upgraded shares of First Majestic Silver to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Scotiabank restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $6.00 price objective on shares of First Majestic Silver in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded First Majestic Silver from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $8.50.

About First Majestic Silver

First Majestic Silver Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of mineral properties with a focus on silver and gold production in North America. Its projects include the San Dimas mine covering an area of approximately 71,867 hectares located in Durango State, Mexico; the Santa Elena that covers an area of approximately 102,244 hectares located in Sonora State, México; and the La Encantada covering an area of approximately 4,076 hectares located in Coahuila State, México.