First Quantum Minerals Ltd. (OTCMKTS:FQVLF) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

First Quantum Minerals Ltd. (OTCMKTS:FQVLF) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,252,200 shares, a decline of 6.8% from the November 30th total of 6,707,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 299,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 20.9 days.

First Quantum Minerals Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of OTCMKTS:FQVLF opened at $13.16 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.98 billion, a PE ratio of -5.90 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.80. First Quantum Minerals has a 52-week low of $8.20 and a 52-week high of $15.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $13.41 and a 200 day moving average of $12.87.

First Quantum Minerals (OTCMKTS:FQVLF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The basic materials company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. First Quantum Minerals had a negative return on equity of 2.69% and a negative net margin of 32.41%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that First Quantum Minerals will post -0.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Barclays upgraded First Quantum Minerals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $16.00.

About First Quantum Minerals

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.