Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Purchases Shares of 235,774 AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 235,774 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,078,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter worth approximately $321,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 30.3% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,023 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 106.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,367 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $153,000 after acquiring an additional 1,734 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 88.4% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 136,543 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $6,200,000 after acquiring an additional 64,066 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the second quarter worth $1,740,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 4.2%

Shares of AU stock opened at $113.38 on Friday. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1 year low of $55.08 and a 1 year high of $129.14. The stock has a market cap of $57.24 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s fifty day moving average is $89.41 and its 200-day moving average is $96.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 2.11 and a current ratio of 2.71.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The mining company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by ($0.05). AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 39.54% and a net margin of 32.19%.The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. Equities analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 21st. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is 6.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AU. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $114.00 to $111.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Roth Capital dropped their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $110.50.

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.