Rhumbline Advisers Boosts Stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) by 194.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 31,619 shares of the mining company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,874 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $1,174,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 5.0%

Shares of NYSE AU opened at $67.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.99 and a quick ratio of 2.22. The company has a market cap of $28.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.05 and a beta of 0.54. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1 year low of $22.45 and a 1 year high of $68.01. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $55.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.35.

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

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AU shares. Scotiabank reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Monday, August 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Friday, August 1st. Zacks Research lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.60.

AngloGold Ashanti 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.