Acadian Asset Management LLC Invests $5.54 Million in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 149,300 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,538,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 11,353 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $424,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Forefront Wealth Management Inc. now owns 38,529 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $1,430,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE AU opened at $66.30 on Friday. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a one year low of $22.45 and a one year high of $66.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.83 billion, a PE ratio of 17.63 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $53.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.21.

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

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, August 22nd were issued a $0.80 dividend. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 22nd. This represents a yield of 610.0%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is presently 85.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on AU shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Scotiabank reaffirmed 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 report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Zacks Research lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.60.

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.