Aya Gold & Silver (NASDAQ:AYA) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Shares of Aya Gold & Silver Inc. (NASDAQ:AYA) gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $26.37, but opened at $27.25. Aya Gold & Silver shares last traded at $28.2740, with a volume of 148,238 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AYA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Aya Gold & Silver in a research note on Monday. Scotiabank raised Aya Gold & Silver to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Desjardins upgraded Aya Gold & Silver to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Aya Gold & Silver from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Aya Gold & Silver presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Aya Gold & Silver Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.53. The company has a market cap of $3.99 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.70.

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

Institutional Trading of Aya Gold & Silver

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AYA. Van ECK Associates Corp acquired a new position in shares of Aya Gold & Silver during the second quarter valued at about $193,481,000. Amundi acquired a new stake in Aya Gold & Silver in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,474,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in Aya Gold & Silver during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,946,000. Groupe la Francaise purchased a new stake in Aya Gold & Silver during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $16,294,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Aya Gold & Silver during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $13,950,000.

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.