Guggenheim Capital LLC Sells 160,315 Shares of B2Gold Corp. (NYSE:BTG)

Guggenheim Capital LLC reduced its position in B2Gold Corp. (NYSE:BTG) by 19.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 654,978 shares of the company’s stock after selling 160,315 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC’s holdings in B2Gold were worth $1,598,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BTG. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of B2Gold in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,192,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in B2Gold by 31.3% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 22,658,771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,436,000 after acquiring an additional 5,401,334 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of B2Gold by 32.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 15,987,385 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,009,000 after acquiring an additional 3,939,040 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of B2Gold by 37.4% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 8,139,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,243,000 after acquiring an additional 2,215,319 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of B2Gold by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 53,010,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $129,823,000 after purchasing an additional 1,165,204 shares in the last quarter. 61.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

B2Gold Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BTG opened at $3.32 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $2.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $2.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.92, a PEG ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 0.93. B2Gold Corp. has a one year low of $2.20 and a one year high of $3.51.

B2Gold Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $0.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. B2Gold’s dividend payout ratio is presently -16.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. CIBC raised their target price on B2Gold from $3.30 to $3.60 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $4.50 price objective on shares of B2Gold in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Bank of America lowered shares of B2Gold from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Cormark cut shares of B2Gold from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded shares of B2Gold from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $4.21.

About B2Gold

B2Gold Corp. operates as a gold producer company. It operates the Fekola Mine in Mali, the Masbate Mine in the Philippines, and the Otjikoto Mine in Namibia. The company also has an 100% interest in the Gramalote gold project in Colombia; 24% interest in the Calibre Mining Corp.; and approximately 19% interest in BeMetals Corp.