AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) Receives $86.00 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $86.00.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. HSBC reaffirmed a “reduce” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Scotiabank boosted their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Roth Capital increased 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AU. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 129.0% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 490 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the period. Finally, Optimum Investment Advisors bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti stock opened at $91.25 on Wednesday. AngloGold Ashanti has a 52 week low of $22.45 and a 52 week high of $91.65. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $78.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $64.62. The company has a market cap of $38.30 billion, a PE ratio of 20.10 and a beta of 0.58.

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

AngloGold Ashanti Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th were given a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.18%.

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.