AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $110.50.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AU shares. Freedom Capital raised AngloGold Ashanti to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Roth Capital lowered their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $155.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:AU opened at $113.38 on Monday. AngloGold Ashanti has a 1 year low of $55.08 and a 1 year high of $129.14. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $89.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 2.11. The company has a market cap of $57.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.20 and a beta of 0.66.

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

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st will be issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 21st. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.70%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AU. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. 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.