Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Put Options on B2Gold (NYSE:BTG)

B2Gold Corp. (NYSE:BTG - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 14,078 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 257% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,947 put options.

B2Gold Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE BTG traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $3.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 22,614,314 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,027,723. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $2.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $2.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.46, a PEG ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.09. B2Gold has a fifty-two week low of $2.20 and a fifty-two week high of $3.50.

B2Gold Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a dividend of $0.02 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.58%. B2Gold's dividend payout ratio is -16.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BTG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Securities downgraded shares of B2Gold from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Cormark raised shares of B2Gold from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Bank of America downgraded B2Gold from a "buy" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, CIBC boosted their target price on B2Gold from $3.30 to $3.60 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $4.12.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On B2Gold

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. bought a new stake in B2Gold during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of B2Gold in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of B2Gold in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new position in B2Gold during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new position in B2Gold during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 61.40% of the company's stock.

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.