First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE:AG) Short Interest Update

First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE:AG - Get Free Report) TSE: FR was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 18,090,000 shares, a decrease of 20.4% from the March 31st total of 22,740,000 shares. Approximately 5.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 20,910,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.9 days.

First Majestic Silver Price Performance

AG stock traded down $0.07 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $6.33. The stock had a trading volume of 10,613,519 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,355,107. The stock has a market cap of $3.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.13 and a beta of 0.81. 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 has a 1-year low of $4.43 and a 1-year high of $8.09. The company's 50 day moving average price is $6.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.16.

First Majestic Silver (NYSE:AG - Get Free Report) TSE: FR last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The mining company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.05 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $172.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $227.77 million. First Majestic Silver had a negative return on equity of 3.07% and a negative net margin of 18.17%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that First Majestic Silver will post 0.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Majestic Silver Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.0057 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.36%. This is a boost from First Majestic Silver's previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. First Majestic Silver's payout ratio is presently -5.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. National Bankshares reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of First Majestic Silver in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $6.00 target price on shares of First Majestic Silver in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $11.00 price objective on shares of First Majestic Silver in a research report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com upgraded First Majestic Silver from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, TD Securities raised shares of First Majestic Silver to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $8.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AG. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of First Majestic Silver by 45.1% in the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 127,140 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $850,000 after acquiring an additional 39,488 shares during the period. Municipal Employees Retirement System of Michigan purchased a new stake in shares of First Majestic Silver in the first quarter worth about $47,656,000. TD Asset Management Inc grew its stake in shares of First Majestic Silver by 197.2% in the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,492,865 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $16,662,000 after buying an additional 1,654,011 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of First Majestic Silver during the 1st quarter valued at about $729,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its position in First Majestic Silver by 770.1% during the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 21,075 shares of the mining company's stock worth $141,000 after acquiring an additional 18,653 shares in the last quarter. 27.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Majestic Silver Company Profile

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.