Aura Minerals Inc. $AUGO Stock: Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Boosts Holdings

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Aura Minerals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUGO) by 194.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 48,345 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 31,899 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Aura Minerals were worth $3,804,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of AUGO. Triumph Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Aura Minerals by 32.4% in the second quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Aura Minerals during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. acquired a new position in Aura Minerals during the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Aura Minerals by 522.2% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 616 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares during the period. Finally, AMG Asset Management Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Aura Minerals during the 3rd quarter worth about $211,000.

Aura Minerals Stock Down 3.7%

Shares of AUGO traded down $2.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $75.02. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 495,544 shares, compared to its average volume of 821,486. Aura Minerals Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.91 and a 12-month high of $110.32. The stock has a market cap of $6.29 billion, a PE ratio of 14.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.22 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company’s 50 day moving average is $82.16 and its 200 day moving average is $76.19.

Aura Minerals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 18th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. Aura Minerals’s payout ratio is presently 56.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Scotiabank started coverage on Aura Minerals in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded Aura Minerals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Aura Minerals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Aura Minerals from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Santander lowered shares of Aura Minerals from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.95.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Glauber Luvizotto sold 64,713 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.20, for a total value of $5,189,982.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 224,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,006,103. This represents a 22.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Mauad Sousa sold 280,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.67, for a total transaction of $22,867,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 168,765 shares in the company, valued at $13,783,037.55. This represents a 62.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 263,011 shares of company stock valued at $22,662,070 and sold 1,476,916 shares valued at $126,888,467.

About Aura Minerals

Aura Minerals is a mining company focused on exploring, developing and operating gold and copper properties in the Americas. Its operations also produce silver as a byproduct at some sites. The company’s portfolio includes mines and projects in Brazil, Mexico and Honduras. Its activities span the mining lifecycle, from resource exploration and project development to the production and sale of metals. Aura Minerals is led by Chief Executive Officer Rodrigo Barbosa. The company has expanded its portfolio over time through mine development and acquisitions.