Aura Minerals (NASDAQ:AUGO) Shares Down 10.7% – Here’s Why

Aura Minerals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUGO) shares fell 10.7% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $54.67 and last traded at $54.2990. 556,556 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 45% from the average session volume of 1,006,697 shares. The stock had previously closed at $60.81.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on AUGO. Bank of America cut their price objective on Aura Minerals from $122.00 to $94.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Aura Minerals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded Aura Minerals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Aura Minerals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aura Minerals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.93.

Aura Minerals Trading Up 6.7%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a market cap of $4.78 billion and a P/E ratio of 52.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $67.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.37.

Aura Minerals (NASDAQ:AUGO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $382.61 million for the quarter. Aura Minerals had a return on equity of 111.96% and a net margin of 7.80%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Aura Minerals Inc. will post 6.84 EPS for the current year.

Aura Minerals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 19th were issued a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. This is a boost from Aura Minerals’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.5%. Aura Minerals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 288.89%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mauad Bruno Sousa acquired 2,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $64.95 per share, for a total transaction of $181,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 437,765 shares in the company, valued at $28,432,836.75. This represents a 0.64% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Rodrigo Cardoso Barbosa sold 55,000 shares of Aura Minerals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.63, for a total value of $4,544,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 739,745 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,125,129.35. This trade represents a 6.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 403,092 shares of company stock worth $30,450,738.

Institutional Trading of Aura Minerals

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Aura Minerals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in Aura Minerals during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Aura Minerals during the third quarter worth $37,000. Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of Aura Minerals by 307.7% in the fourth quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 795 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in shares of Aura Minerals during the third quarter valued at about $108,000.

About Aura Minerals

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.