Leuthold Group LLC Sells 227,741 Shares of Equinox Gold Corp. $EQX

Leuthold Group LLC reduced its stake in shares of Equinox Gold Corp. (NYSEAMERICAN:EQX) by 45.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 275,129 shares of the company’s stock after selling 227,741 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings in Equinox Gold were worth $3,863,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EQX. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Equinox Gold by 91.3% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 96,024,048 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,077,394,000 after acquiring an additional 45,820,861 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Equinox Gold during the third quarter worth approximately $40,600,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Equinox Gold by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,714,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $431,665,000 after acquiring an additional 3,250,135 shares in the last quarter. Waratah Capital Advisors Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Equinox Gold by 717.8% during the third quarter. Waratah Capital Advisors Ltd. now owns 3,526,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,564,000 after acquiring an additional 3,094,966 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Equinox Gold by 795.6% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,840,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,248,000 after acquiring an additional 2,523,122 shares in the last quarter. 38.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equinox Gold Stock Down 7.7%

Shares of NYSEAMERICAN EQX opened at $13.23 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. Equinox Gold Corp. has a 52 week low of $5.61 and a 52 week high of $18.96. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $14.43 and its 200 day moving average is $14.37. The company has a market cap of $10.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.54 and a beta of 1.21.

Equinox Gold (NYSEAMERICAN:EQX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.01). Equinox Gold had a return on equity of 10.26% and a net margin of 21.72%.The firm had revenue of $861.59 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $896.94 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.08) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 224.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Equinox Gold Corp. will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Equinox Gold Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.015 dividend. This represents a $0.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Equinox Gold’s payout ratio is presently 11.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on EQX shares. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Equinox Gold in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce raised shares of Equinox Gold from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Equinox Gold in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Equinox Gold from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equinox Gold currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $17.00.

About Equinox Gold

Equinox Gold Corp is a Canadian gold mining company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company focuses on the acquisition, development, and operation of gold properties, with an emphasis on open-pit heap leach mining. Since its inception, Equinox Gold has pursued a strategy of combining assets in established jurisdictions to build a diversified portfolio that balances production and growth, while maintaining rigorous safety and environmental standards.

Equinox Gold’s operating portfolio spans three countries.