Renaissance Technologies LLC Takes $54.15 Million Position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 556,200 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,152,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on AU shares. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $128.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Roth Capital lowered their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Zacks Research lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $110.50.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

NYSE AU opened at $79.70 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $40.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.69 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $85.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $96.63. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 12-month low of $45.36 and a 12-month high of $129.14.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The mining company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.25. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 31.11% and a return on equity of 36.41%. The firm had revenue of $3.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 29th. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.8%. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is presently 68.04%.

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.