Short Interest in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) Decreases By 18.4%

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,794,675 shares, a decrease of 18.4% from the December 15th total of 4,651,135 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,006,657 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days. Currently, 0.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Currently, 0.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,006,657 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on AU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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. Wall Street Zen raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Scotiabank raised their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, HSBC reissued a “reduce” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.50.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 7.8%

NYSE AU opened at $106.75 on Wednesday. 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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $87.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $70.37. AngloGold Ashanti has a twelve month low of $27.44 and a twelve month high of $106.87. The company has a market capitalization of $41.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.51 and a beta of 0.58.

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

AngloGold Ashanti Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th were given a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.18%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ascent Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 12,371 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $1,055,000 after purchasing an additional 2,027 shares during the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd boosted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 82,503 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $7,036,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,572 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $305,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 28,211 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $2,406,000 after buying an additional 2,844 shares during the period. Finally, Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC now owns 122,885 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $10,556,000 after buying an additional 14,673 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

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.