First Quantum Minerals Ltd. (OTCMKTS:FQVLF) Short Interest Update

First Quantum Minerals Ltd. (OTCMKTS:FQVLF) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,333,700 shares, a growth of 17.3% from the December 15th total of 6,252,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 263,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 27.8 days.

First Quantum Minerals Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of FQVLF stock traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $13.16. 180,721 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 175,312. The company’s 50 day moving average is $13.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market cap of $10.97 billion, a PE ratio of -5.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 29.59 and a beta of 1.50. First Quantum Minerals has a 1 year low of $8.22 and a 1 year high of $15.23.

First Quantum Minerals (OTCMKTS:FQVLF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The basic materials company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.02 by $0.12. First Quantum Minerals had a negative net margin of 32.41% and a negative return on equity of 2.69%. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that First Quantum Minerals will post -0.07 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on FQVLF shares. Canaccord Genuity Group downgraded shares of First Quantum Minerals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays upgraded First Quantum Minerals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, First Quantum Minerals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.00.

First Quantum Minerals Company Profile

First Quantum Minerals Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral properties. It primarily explores for copper, nickel, pyrite, silver, gold, and zinc ores, as well as produces acid. The company has operating mines located in Zambia, Panama, Finland, Turkey, Spain, Australia, and Mauritania, as well as a development project in Zambia.