AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the five ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $32.00.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector underperform” rating and issued a $30.00 price target (up previously from $27.00) on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

NYSE:AU opened at $26.24 on Monday. AngloGold Ashanti has a 1-year low of $15.24 and a 1-year high of $32.57. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The mining company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.17 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti will post 2.58 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were given a $0.22 dividend. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.19. This represents a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th.

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 36.1% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,890 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 108.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,505 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 32.4% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,215 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 1,032 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 338.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,471 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 2,679 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth $118,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.