Gold Fields (NYSE:GFI) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Gold Fields Limited (NYSE:GFI) shares 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 analysts have recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank boosted their target price 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. increased their price target on shares of Gold Fields from $17.10 to $18.80 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Gold Fields from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.20.

Gold Fields Price Performance

The company has a market cap 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 has a 50-day moving average of $17.27 and a 200 day moving average of $15.78.

Gold Fields Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given 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 yield of 1.6%. Gold Fields’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.53%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gold Fields

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GFI. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Gold Fields by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,155,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,492,000 after purchasing an additional 580,546 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Gold Fields by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 3,107,369 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,684,000 after buying an additional 211,333 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Gold Fields by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,976,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,283,000 after acquiring an additional 178,973 shares during the last quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP boosted its holdings in Gold Fields by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 2,710,910 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,784,000 after acquiring an additional 227,704 shares during the period. Finally, DJE Kapital AG purchased a new position in Gold Fields during the 4th quarter valued at $33,486,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 24.81% of the company’s stock.

About Gold Fields

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.