Gold Fields (NYSE:GFI) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Gold Fields Stock Performance

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

Gold Fields Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.3752 per share. This is an increase from Gold Fields’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. This represents a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Gold Fields’s payout ratio is currently 25.53%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gold Fields

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GFI. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Gold Fields by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 105,174 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,388,000 after purchasing an additional 573 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in Gold Fields by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 17,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 720 shares in the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. lifted its position in Gold Fields by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 48,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $638,000 after purchasing an additional 1,583 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake 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. Finally, US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Gold Fields by 18.9% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 11,484 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,000 after acquiring an additional 1,829 shares during the period. 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.