Gold Fields Limited (NYSE:GFI) Short Interest Up 24.6% in August

Key Points

• Gold Fields Limited experienced a 24.6% increase in short interest in August, totaling 5,830,000 shares as of August 31st, indicating a growing bearish sentiment towards the stock.
• The company announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.3993 per share, increasing from the previous dividend of $0.38, reflecting a strong commitment to returning value to shareholders.
• Several analysts have recently raised their price targets for Gold Fields, with BMO Capital Markets setting a new target at $32.00, signaling optimism regarding the stock's performance.

Gold Fields Limited (NYSE:GFI - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 5,830,000 shares, an increase of 24.6% from the August 15th total of 4,680,000 shares. Currently, 1.0% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 3,040,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days. Based on an average daily volume of 3,040,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days. Currently, 1.0% of the company's stock are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gold Fields

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Country Trust Bank bought a new stake in shares of Gold Fields during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Gold Fields during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Gold Fields during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Gold Fields by 672.1% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,552 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 1,351 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Gold Fields during the 2nd quarter worth $47,000. 24.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Gold Fields Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GFI opened at $38.00 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $30.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.89. The firm has a market cap of $34.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.17, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.47. Gold Fields has a 1 year low of $12.98 and a 1 year high of $39.04.

Gold Fields Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.3993 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. This represents a dividend yield of 130.0%. This is a boost from Gold Fields's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.38. Gold Fields's dividend payout ratio is 27.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Capital One Financial set a $32.00 price target on Gold Fields in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Gold Fields from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 25th. Wall Street Zen cut Gold Fields from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 1st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on Gold Fields in a research note on Monday, July 28th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $33.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $26.63.

About Gold Fields

Gold Fields Limited operates as a gold producer with reserves and resources in Chile, South Africa, Ghana, Canada, Australia, and Peru. It also explores for copper and silver deposits. The company was founded in 1887 and is based in Sandton, South Africa.

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