Investors Buy Large Volume of B2Gold Call Options (NYSEAMERICAN:BTG)

Key Points

• Unusual options activity: Investors purchased 35,966 B2Gold call options, about 146% above the typical daily volume, signaling increased bullish options interest.
• Stock and earnings performance: B2Gold shares rose to $5.47, while the company’s latest EPS of $0.03 missed the $0.07 consensus estimate despite 14% year-over-year revenue growth.
• Positive analyst sentiment: Several analysts upgraded B2Gold, contributing to a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $6.81, above the current share price.

B2Gold Corp (NYSEAMERICAN:BTG - Get Free Report) TSE: BTO was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock investors acquired 35,966 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 146% compared to the typical daily volume of 14,618 call options.

B2Gold Price Performance

Shares of NYSEAMERICAN:BTG traded up $0.15 during trading on Friday, reaching $5.47. The company had a trading volume of 8,694,144 shares, compared to its average volume of 30,588,662. B2Gold has a twelve month low of $3.57 and a twelve month high of $6.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.58. The firm's fifty day moving average is $4.93 and its 200 day moving average is $4.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.22 billion, a PE ratio of 9.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.73.

B2Gold (NYSEAMERICAN:BTG - Get Free Report) TSE: BTO last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.04). B2Gold had a net margin of 21.47% and a return on equity of 17.05%. The firm had revenue of $789.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $836.33 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.12 earnings per share. B2Gold's revenue for the quarter was up 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that B2Gold will post 0.49 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Two Sigma Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of B2Gold by 341.9% in the second quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC now owns 236,275 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $884,000 after purchasing an additional 182,811 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of B2Gold by 6.9% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 288,790 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,080,000 after acquiring an additional 18,536 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of B2Gold during the second quarter valued at $1,524,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in B2Gold in the second quarter valued at about $4,728,000. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in B2Gold in the second quarter worth about $731,000. 61.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of B2Gold from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 6th. TD Securities upgraded B2Gold from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Scotiabank upgraded B2Gold from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce upgraded B2Gold from a "hold" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $7.50 price target for the company in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, ATB Cormark Capital Markets upgraded shares of B2Gold from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $6.81.

B2Gold Company Profile

B2Gold Corp. is a Canadian-based gold producer engaged in the exploration, development, and operation of gold mines. The company produces gold doré and sells its output to refiners and other customers. Its portfolio includes the Fekola complex in Mali, the Masbate mine in the Philippines, and the Otjikoto mine in Namibia.

Founded in 2007 by former executives of Bema Gold Corporation, B2Gold has grown from an exploration and development company into an international gold producer. In addition to operating mines, the company conducts exploration and evaluates development opportunities intended to expand and sustain its production base.

B2Gold is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, and has operations and projects across Africa, Asia, and other regions.

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