Aura Minerals (NASDAQ:AUGO) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

Aura Minerals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUGO) gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $66.42, but opened at $71.79. Aura Minerals shares last traded at $71.48, with a volume of 149,514 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AUGO shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Aura Minerals in a report on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Aura Minerals from $46.60 to $52.80 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Aura Minerals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Aura Minerals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Aura Minerals in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $105.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aura Minerals currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $67.60.

Aura Minerals Trading Up 7.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $72.43 and its 200 day moving average is $51.17. The company has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion and a PE ratio of -68.07.

Aura Minerals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th were issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 11th. Aura Minerals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -251.43%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Rodrigo Cardoso Barbosa sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.82, for a total transaction of $658,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 859,745 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,588,415.90. This represents a 1.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Aura Minerals during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aura Minerals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hollencrest Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Aura Minerals by 307.7% during the fourth quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 795 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Aura Minerals during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Shell Asset Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Aura Minerals during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000.

About Aura Minerals

We are an Americas gold and copper production company with a significant portfolio of mining operations. Our mission is to deliver long-term value by unlocking operational efficiencies, responsibly growing our portfolio with a focus on return on invested capital, responsible mining practices and a commitment to sustainability. We operate with a decentralized culture, supported by a lean corporate team that ensures agile and dynamic management and decision-making processes, focused on high operational sustainability compliance standards.