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

Aura Minerals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUGO) shares gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $60.50, but opened at $63.85. Aura Minerals shares last traded at $63.6470, with a volume of 82,514 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AUGO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Aura Minerals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Aura Minerals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Aura Minerals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.60.

Aura Minerals Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a market capitalization of $5.48 billion and a P/E ratio of 60.61. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $71.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $71.66.

Aura Minerals (NASDAQ:AUGO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $382.61 million for the quarter. Aura Minerals had a return on equity of 111.96% and a net margin of 7.80%. On average, analysts expect that Aura Minerals Inc. will post 7.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aura Minerals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were given a $0.78 dividend. This is a boost from Aura Minerals’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 19th. Aura Minerals’s payout ratio is presently 288.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aura Minerals

In related news, Director Mauad Bruno Sousa sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.48, for a total value of $7,748,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 434,965 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,701,088.20. This trade represents a 18.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Luvizotto Glauber Rosa sold 22,367 shares of Aura Minerals stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.27, for a total transaction of $1,459,894.09. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 411,938 shares in the company, valued at $26,887,193.26. The trade was a 5.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 384,082 shares of company stock worth $29,210,716.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in Aura Minerals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aura Minerals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Aura Minerals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Hollencrest Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Aura Minerals by 307.7% during the 4th quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 795 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in shares of Aura Minerals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $108,000.

Aura Minerals Company Profile

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.