Ellsworth Advisors LLC Makes New $6.05 Million Investment in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Ellsworth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 80,481 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,054,000. AngloGold Ashanti makes up 1.3% of Ellsworth Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AU. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 13.8% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,893 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $133,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 30.3% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,023 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 91,793 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $4,183,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 2.3% during the third quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 13,399 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $942,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 2.1% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 14,878 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $678,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

AngloGold Ashanti stock opened at $91.25 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 2.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a twelve month low of $22.45 and a twelve month high of $91.65. The company has a market capitalization of $38.30 billion, a PE ratio of 20.10 and a beta of 0.58.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The mining company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.02). AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 24.01% and a net margin of 26.25%.The company had revenue of $2.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. Research analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th were given a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is presently 80.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Scotiabank increased their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Roth Capital raised their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.00.

About AngloGold Ashanti

AngloGold Ashanti is a global gold mining company engaged in the exploration, development, production, processing and sale of gold. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, the company’s core activities span the full mining value chain from greenfield exploration and mine development through to ore processing and rehabilitation. Gold is the primary commodity produced, with individual operations sometimes yielding other by‑products depending on local geology and processing methods.

The company was formed in 2004 through the merger of AngloGold and Ashanti Goldfields, creating a diversified international gold producer.