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

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $86.00.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

AngloGold Ashanti stock opened at $99.15 on Friday. AngloGold Ashanti has a 1-year low of $26.78 and a 1-year high of $100.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 2.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $86.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.42.

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

AngloGold Ashanti Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.18%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter worth about $321,000. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 194.3% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 31,619 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $1,174,000 after buying an additional 20,874 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the second quarter worth about $366,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 579.2% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,664 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 1,419 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,865,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Company Profile

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.