Barrick Gold Corp (NYSE:GOLD) Shares Sold by Aviva PLC

Aviva PLC lessened its position in shares of Barrick Gold Corp (NYSE:GOLD - Free Report) TSE: ABX by 87.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 67,310 shares of the gold and copper producer's stock after selling 489,117 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC's holdings in Barrick Gold were worth $1,042,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Barrick Gold during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in Barrick Gold by 619.7% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 3,073 shares of the gold and copper producer's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 2,646 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its position in Barrick Gold by 196.9% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 4,178 shares of the gold and copper producer's stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 2,771 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Barrick Gold during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Barrick Gold by 119.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 4,848 shares of the gold and copper producer's stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 2,638 shares during the last quarter. 62.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on GOLD shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Barrick Gold from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. National Bank Financial raised Barrick Gold to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. UBS Group raised their target price on Barrick Gold from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. StockNews.com raised Barrick Gold from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 5th. Finally, TD Securities lowered their price objective on Barrick Gold from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.04.

Barrick Gold Price Performance

Shares of Barrick Gold stock traded up $1.35 on Friday, hitting $20.59. 41,724,502 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,921,418. Barrick Gold Corp has a 1-year low of $15.11 and a 1-year high of $21.35. The company has a quick ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 2.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $18.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.92.

Barrick Gold (NYSE:GOLD - Get Free Report) TSE: ABX last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The gold and copper producer reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46. Barrick Gold had a return on equity of 6.76% and a net margin of 16.59%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Barrick Gold Corp will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Barrick Gold Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.94%. Barrick Gold's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.52%.

Barrick Gold announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the gold and copper producer to reacquire up to 3.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About Barrick Gold

Barrick Gold Corporation is a sector-leading gold and copper producer.  Its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GOLD and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ABX.   In January 2019 Barrick merged with Randgold Resources and in July that year it combined its gold mines in Nevada, USA, with those of Newmont Corporation in a joint venture, Nevada Gold Mines, which is majority-owned and operated by Barrick.