Aura Minerals (NASDAQ:AUGO) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Aura Minerals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUGO) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $90.24 and last traded at $89.5280, with a volume of 499951 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $87.69.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AUGO. Zacks Research raised shares of Aura Minerals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Aura Minerals in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Aura Minerals in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Aura Minerals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $67.60.

Aura Minerals Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $7.49 billion and a P/E ratio of -84.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.75.

Aura Minerals (NASDAQ:AUGO) last released its earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The company reported ($0.24) EPS for the quarter. Aura Minerals had a negative net margin of 8.61% and a positive return on equity of 94.81%. The firm had revenue of $321.66 million during the quarter.

Aura Minerals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th were issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Aura Minerals’s payout ratio is presently -251.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Rodrigo Cardoso Barbosa sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.82, for a total value of $658,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 859,745 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,588,415.90. This trade represents a 1.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Institutional Trading of Aura Minerals

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Aura Minerals during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aura Minerals during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Aura Minerals by 307.7% in the fourth quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 795 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Aura Minerals during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Shell Asset Management Co. bought a new position in Aura Minerals during the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000.

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.