Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. Takes Position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 10,584 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $223,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 89.1% during the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 1,475 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 695 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 498.6% during the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,041 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 2,533 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter worth about $165,000. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter worth about $226,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 22.36% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 8.0 %

Shares of AU stock opened at $19.06 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a fifty-two week low of $13.65 and a fifty-two week high of $30.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $17.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $20.91.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 4th. The mining company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.38). The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter. Research analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 25th were given a dividend of $0.029 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 24th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday, October 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $24.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $19.00 to $22.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 12th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 18th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $18.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Monday, September 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $23.40.

About AngloGold Ashanti

AngloGold Ashanti plc operates as a gold mining company in Africa, the Americas, and Australia. The company explores for gold. Its flagship property is a 100% owned Geita project located in the Lake Victoria goldfields of the Mwanza region in north-western Tanzania. The company also owns 100% interest in the Iduapriem mine which covers 137 square kilometers located in the western region of Ghana; Obuasi project located in Ghana; AGA Mineração in Brazil; Serra Grande located in central Brazil in the state of Goiás; Greenfield Projects in the Beatty district in Nevada; and Sunrise Dam in Australia.