First Eagle Investment Management LLC Reduces Stake in B2Gold Corp.

First Eagle Investment Management LLC has significantly reduced its stake in B2Gold Corp. (NYSE:BTG) by 54.0% during the fourth quarter, as per its latest 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. After the sale of 9,783,826 shares, the institutional investor now holds 8,332,514 shares, representing approximately 0.63% of B2Gold, valued at around $20,262,000 based on recent SEC disclosures.

Numerous other large investors have also adjusted their positions in B2Gold lately. For instance, Swiss National Bank increased its holdings by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, owning 2,586,023 shares valued at $6,330,000 after buying an additional 15,600 shares. HighTower Advisors LLC expanded its position by 45.4%, acquiring 16,933 shares worth $41,000 by adding 5,288 shares during the same period. Additionally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's stake grew by 7.5%, bringing its total to 330,004 shares valued at $808,000 after purchasing 23,073 more shares. Ruffer LLP also increased its B2Gold shares by 15.5%, reaching a total of 4,213,062 shares with an estimated worth of $10,280,000 after acquiring 565,386 shares. Lastly, Amundi expanded its investment by 37.4%, now owning 8,139,040 shares valued at $21,243,000 after buying 2,215,319 additional shares. Overall, institutional investors now hold about 61.40% of B2Gold's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently provided their insights on B2Gold shares. On January 14th, Bank of America downgraded B2Gold from a 'buy' to an 'underperform' rating. Following this, CIBC adjusted its target price from $3.70 to $3.30 and assigned a 'neutral' rating on January 15th. In contrast, Cormark upgraded its rating from 'hold' to a 'moderate buy' on February 21st, while TD Securities also downgraded B2Gold from 'buy' to 'hold' on February 4th. As it stands, one analyst rates the stock as a sell, six have given it a hold rating, and one rates it as a buy, resulting in an average rating of 'Hold' and a consensus price target of $4.02 according to data from MarketBeat.com.

B2Gold Stock Performance

As of Friday, B2Gold's stock (BTG) opened at $2.90. The stock has a fifty-day simple moving average of $2.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $2.81. B2Gold's market capitalization is approximately $3.82 billion, with a P/E ratio of -6.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.33, and a beta of 1.09. The company’s debt-to-equity ratio stands at 0.07, while the current ratio and quick ratio are 1.83 and 1.08, respectively. Over the past year, B2Gold’s stock has experienced a low of $2.20 and a high of $3.50.

Dividend Announcement

B2Gold has recently announced a quarterly dividend, which is set to be paid on March 20th. Shareholders on record as of March 7th will receive a $0.02 dividend, amounting to an annualized dividend of $0.08 and a dividend yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date is also March 7th. Currently, B2Gold’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is noted at -16.67%.

B2Gold Company Overview

B2Gold Corp. is recognized as a gold producer with operations including the Fekola Mine in Mali, the Masbate Mine in the Philippines, and the Otjikoto Mine in Namibia. The company also holds a 100% stake in the Gramalote gold project in Colombia, a 24% interest in Calibre Mining Corp., and approximately a 19% interest in BeMetals Corp.

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