AngloGold Ashanti Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:AU)

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) was the target of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Investors bought 675,546 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 18,337% compared to the average volume of 3,664 call options.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti stock traded down $1.77 during trading on Thursday, reaching $104.50. 2,500,421 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,655,182. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.58 and a quick ratio of 1.98. AngloGold Ashanti has a 1-year low of $31.58 and a 1-year high of $129.14. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $105.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $85.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.76 billion, a PE ratio of 20.13 and a beta of 0.55.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The mining company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 26.65% and a return on equity of 29.70%. The business had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.99 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.173 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on AU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $122.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $100.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ninety One SA Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,380,472,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 406.9% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 6,288,253 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $539,119,000 after purchasing an additional 5,047,686 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth $426,477,000. State Street Corp grew its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 1,175.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,967,173 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $226,354,000 after purchasing an additional 4,577,807 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 274.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,137,721 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $142,986,000 after buying an additional 2,300,204 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

About AngloGold Ashanti

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.