AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Trading Down 5.9% – Time to Sell?

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU)’s share price traded down 5.9% on Friday . The company traded as low as $98.19 and last traded at $98.5190. 1,057,714 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 2,905,726 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.70.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on AU shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 13th. Zacks Research downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Citigroup increased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $100.50.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.58, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market capitalization of $48.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.47 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $105.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $85.06.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The mining company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.90. The business had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 26.65% and a return on equity of 29.70%. On average, equities analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.173 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.13%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 454.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 471 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares during the period. 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.