Legal & General Group Plc Makes New Investment in Aya Gold & Silver Inc. $AYA

Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Aya Gold & Silver Inc. (NASDAQ:AYA) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 129,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,444,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.09% of Aya Gold & Silver at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aya Gold & Silver during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $502,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Aya Gold & Silver in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $557,000. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in Aya Gold & Silver during the second quarter worth $663,000. Cibc World Market Inc. acquired a new position in Aya Gold & Silver during the second quarter worth $1,509,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in Aya Gold & Silver during the second quarter worth $2,924,000.

Aya Gold & Silver Price Performance

NASDAQ:AYA opened at $28.91 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $23.17. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $4.16 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.62. Aya Gold & Silver Inc. has a 1-year low of $15.84 and a 1-year high of $30.24.

Aya Gold & Silver (NASDAQ:AYA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.13). Aya Gold & Silver had a net margin of 32.92% and a return on equity of 25.49%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Aya Gold & Silver Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on AYA shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Aya Gold & Silver in a report on Monday, August 31st. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Aya Gold & Silver to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Zacks Research upgraded Aya Gold & Silver from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Desjardins upgraded Aya Gold & Silver to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

About Aya Gold & Silver

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.