AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $28.50.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on AU shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector underperform” rating and issued a $30.00 target price (up from $27.00) on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Monday, August 19th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

AU opened at $27.39 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The business has a fifty day moving average of $29.04 and a 200 day moving average of $25.17. AngloGold Ashanti has a 52-week low of $14.91 and a 52-week high of $32.57. The stock has a market cap of $11.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.56 and a beta of 0.98.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The mining company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.17 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti will post 2.39 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.19. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is 13.75%.

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 27,747,289 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $615,990,000 after buying an additional 1,948,322 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 0.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,808,722 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $373,154,000 after purchasing an additional 65,025 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 312.3% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 6,003,149 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $112,199,000 after purchasing an additional 4,547,011 shares in the last quarter. Oaktree Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Oaktree Capital Management LP now owns 5,874,951 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $109,803,000 after purchasing an additional 446,132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,396,216 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $75,396,000 after purchasing an additional 181,081 shares during the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Company Profile

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.