Prudential PLC Buys 2,211 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Prudential PLC boosted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 47,486 shares of the mining company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,211 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $2,164,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 13.1% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,963 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 689 shares during the last quarter. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Allianz Polska S.A. increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Allianz Polska S.A. now owns 26,200 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $984,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of AU opened at $79.67 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $71.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.47. The company has a market cap of $33.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.19 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a twelve month low of $22.45 and a twelve month high of $85.85.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last issued its quarterly 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 23.60% and a return on equity of 22.54%. The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. As a group, analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 28th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is presently 80.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AU has been the subject of a number of research reports. HSBC reiterated a “reduce” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 15th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $76.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.50.

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.