22,740 Shares in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU Acquired by Prudential Financial Inc.

Prudential Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 22,740 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,036,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AU. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the second quarter valued at $30,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 579.2% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,664 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 1,419 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth $77,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 162.5% during the second quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 2,100 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

AU stock opened at $82.63 on Monday. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 52-week low of $22.45 and a 52-week high of $89.19. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $75.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 2.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.20 and a beta of 0.58.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 11th. The mining company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.02). AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 26.25% and a return on equity of 24.01%. The business had revenue of $2.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. Equities research analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 28th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. HSBC reiterated a “reduce” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen cut AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Monday, October 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.83.

About AngloGold Ashanti

AngloGold Ashanti plc operates as a gold mining company in Africa, Australia, and the Americas. The company primarily explores for gold, as well as produces silver and sulphuric acid as by-products. Its flagship property is a 100% owned Geita mine located in the Lake Victoria goldfields of the Mwanza region in north-western Tanzania.