Gold Fields (NYSE:GFI) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Shares of Gold Fields Limited (NYSE:GFI) gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $20.53, but opened at $19.89. Gold Fields shares last traded at $20.10, with a volume of 685,592 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GFI. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Gold Fields from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Gold Fields from $17.10 to $18.80 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Gold Fields from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Gold Fields presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.20.

Gold Fields Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $18.01 billion, a PE ratio of 8.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s fifty day moving average is $17.27 and its 200-day moving average is $15.78.

Gold Fields Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.3752 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Gold Fields’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. This represents a dividend yield of 1.6%. Gold Fields’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.53%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gold Fields

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Integrated Advisors Network LLC purchased a new stake in Gold Fields during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $331,000. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Allianz Polska S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Gold Fields in the 4th quarter worth $570,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in Gold Fields during the 4th quarter worth $139,000. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in Gold Fields by 61.1% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 64,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $848,000 after buying an additional 24,365 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Gold Fields in the fourth quarter valued at about $9,033,000. 24.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Gold Fields Company Profile

Gold Fields Limited operates as a gold producer with reserves and resources in Chile, South Africa, Ghana, Canada, Australia, and Peru. It also explores for copper and silver deposits. The company was founded in 1887 and is based in Sandton, South Africa.