Arizona State Retirement System Takes $628,000 Position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Arizona State Retirement System bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 8,927 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $628,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Optimum Investment Advisors bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in 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 buying an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 330.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 964 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 740 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the second quarter worth approximately $69,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $92.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.00.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 3.1%

AU stock opened at $107.17 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $93.02 and a 200-day moving average of $75.83. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 12 month low of $28.44 and a 12 month high of $115.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.58.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last posted its 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 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%. Equities analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.