AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $49.60.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AU. Scotiabank reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Friday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at $392,000. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter valued at about $221,000. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter valued at about $312,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter valued at about $238,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,135 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $280,000 after buying an additional 1,402 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

NYSE AU opened at $53.6690 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.97. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market cap of $22.53 billion, a PE ratio of 14.27 and a beta of 0.46. AngloGold Ashanti has a twelve month low of $22.45 and a twelve month high of $59.19.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The mining company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $2.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 23.60% and a return on equity of 22.54%. Equities analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, August 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a yield of 610.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 22nd. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.69. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is currently 13.30%.

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.