Silvercorp Metals Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:SVM) Stock Has Average Price Target of $14.00

Shares of Silvercorp Metals Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:SVM) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $14.00.

SVM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Silvercorp Metals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 target price (up from $13.50) on shares of Silvercorp Metals in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, National Bank Financial began coverage on shares of Silvercorp Metals in a report on Thursday, October 8th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Silvercorp Metals

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in Silvercorp Metals by 125.6% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 15,941,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,025,000 after acquiring an additional 8,875,001 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Silvercorp Metals in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,564,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Silvercorp Metals in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,719,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Silvercorp Metals in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $19,180,000. Finally, PDT Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Silvercorp Metals in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,661,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 22.30% of the company’s stock.

Silvercorp Metals Stock Performance

Shares of Silvercorp Metals stock opened at $9.22 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $10.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.15. Silvercorp Metals has a 1 year low of $6.11 and a 1 year high of $15.77. The firm has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a PE ratio of 48.53 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 3.18 and a current ratio of 3.28.

Silvercorp Metals (NYSEAMERICAN:SVM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $72.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $72.10 million. Silvercorp Metals had a return on equity of 16.49% and a net margin of 9.94%. Equities analysts forecast that Silvercorp Metals will post 0.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Silvercorp Metals declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, September 17th that allows the company to repurchase 8,850,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 4% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Silvercorp Metals Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 27th will be paid a $0.0125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 27th. This represents a dividend yield of 29.0%. Silvercorp Metals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.33%.

About Silvercorp Metals

Silvercorp Metals Inc. is a Canadian mining company focused on the production and exploration of silver, lead, zinc and gold. Its operating mines are in China, including properties in the Ying Mining District in Henan Province and the GC mine. The company also has mineral development and exploration interests in Ecuador, including the El Domo copper-gold project and the Condor gold project. Its portfolio spans operating mines and projects at earlier stages of development. Silvercorp is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia.