AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU Shares Sold by Barometer Capital Management Inc.

Barometer Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) by 75.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,100 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 75,039 shares during the period. AngloGold Ashanti comprises approximately 1.0% of Barometer Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Barometer Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $2,346,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the first quarter worth $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 454.1% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 471 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Scotiabank reduced their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $128.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Roth Capital decreased their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Citigroup dropped their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Zacks Research cut AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $110.50.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 4.7%

Shares of NYSE:AU opened at $78.43 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $86.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.77. The company has a market cap of $39.60 billion, a PE ratio of 11.50 and a beta of 0.65. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a fifty-two week low of $45.36 and a fifty-two week high of $129.14.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The mining company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $3.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 36.41% and a net margin of 31.11%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.79 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.04%.

AngloGold Ashanti Profile

AngloGold Ashanti is a global gold mining company engaged in the exploration, development, production, processing and sale of gold. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, the company’s core activities span the full mining value chain from greenfield exploration and mine development through to ore processing and rehabilitation. Gold is the primary commodity produced, with individual operations sometimes yielding other by‑products depending on local geology and processing methods.

The company was formed in 2004 through the merger of AngloGold and Ashanti Goldfields, creating a diversified international gold producer.