Van ECK Associates Corp Purchases New Stake in Aya Gold & Silver Inc. $AYA

Van ECK Associates Corp acquired a new position in Aya Gold & Silver Inc. (NASDAQ:AYA) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 10,226,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $193,481,000. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 0.07% of Aya Gold & Silver as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Aya Gold & Silver during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $502,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Aya Gold & Silver in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $557,000. Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Aya Gold & Silver in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $663,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in Aya Gold & Silver in the second quarter valued at approximately $673,000. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. purchased a new position in Aya Gold & Silver in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,509,000.

Aya Gold & Silver Stock Down 4.5%

NASDAQ AYA opened at $27.97 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.21. Aya Gold & Silver Inc. has a 12-month low of $15.84 and a 12-month high of $30.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The company has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.95.

Aya Gold & Silver (NASDAQ:AYA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.13). Aya Gold & Silver had a net margin of 32.92% and a return on equity of 25.49%. Equities analysts expect that Aya Gold & Silver Inc. will post 1.11 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on AYA. Desjardins raised Aya Gold & Silver to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Zacks Research upgraded Aya Gold & Silver from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings cut Aya Gold & Silver from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded Aya Gold & Silver to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Aya Gold & Silver presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Aya Gold & Silver Company Profile

Aya Gold & Silver is a precious metals company focused on the exploration, development, and production of silver and gold. The company is best known for its operations in Morocco, where it is advancing and operating assets within the country’s mining sector.

The company’s business activities center on identifying, developing, and optimizing mineral resources, with an emphasis on silver production and related byproducts. Aya Gold & Silver is involved in the full mining lifecycle, from exploration and resource definition through to mine development and operations.

Founded as a Canadian mining company, Aya Gold & Silver has built its portfolio around North African mineral assets and continues to concentrate on expanding its presence in Morocco.