AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,760,000 shares, an increase of 24.7% from the May 15th total of 4,620,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,260,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AU opened at $48.05 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $43.83 and a 200 day moving average of $34.57. The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.81 and a beta of 0.49. AngloGold Ashanti has a 12-month low of $22.45 and a 12-month high of $51.11.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The mining company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 21.09% and a return on equity of 21.18%. On average, research analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were paid a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.14%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 1st. HSBC reiterated a “reduce” rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $42.00 to $43.50 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.08.

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AU. Savant Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter worth $254,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 308,991 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $7,132,000 after acquiring an additional 35,500 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 10,745 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $248,000 after acquiring an additional 910 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 135,064 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $3,117,000 after acquiring an additional 15,564 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 39.0% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,934,603 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $44,651,000 after acquiring an additional 542,463 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.