Gold Fields (NYSE:GFI) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Gold Fields Limited (NYSE:GFI) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $20.66 and last traded at $20.59, with a volume of 1031944 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.18.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Gold Fields from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Gold Fields from $17.10 to $18.80 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on Gold Fields from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Gold Fields presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $17.20.

Gold Fields Stock Down 3.0 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $18.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s 50 day moving average is $17.67 and its 200-day moving average is $15.89.

Gold Fields Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid 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%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gold Fields

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. FCA Corp TX bought a new position in Gold Fields in the 4th quarter valued at about $108,000. Net Worth Advisory Group purchased a new position in shares of Gold Fields during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $136,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Gold Fields by 19.1% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 10,304 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 1,656 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Gold Fields in the 4th quarter valued at $139,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Gold Fields during the 4th quarter valued at $141,000. 24.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.