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

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $113.14.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $115.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Roth Capital reduced their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $111.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AU. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 6,386,503 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $620,874,000 after buying an additional 98,250 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 5,121,189 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $436,735,000 after acquiring an additional 191,859 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter valued at about $426,477,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 29.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,684,560 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $419,256,000 after acquiring an additional 1,074,822 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 64.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,186,463 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $357,022,000 after acquiring an additional 1,641,545 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

NYSE AU opened at $94.17 on Friday. AngloGold Ashanti has a fifty-two week low of $62.55 and a fifty-two week high of $129.14. The stock has a market cap of $47.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.62 and a beta of 0.73. The business has a fifty day moving average of $100.02 and a 200-day moving average of $94.55. The company has a quick ratio of 2.07, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The mining company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) 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 38.77%. As a group, analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st were paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is a drop from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.70%.

AngloGold Ashanti Company Profile

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE: AU) is a global gold mining company engaged in the exploration, development, and production of gold. Its activities include operating mines, processing ore into doré and bullion, and developing mineral resources and reserves. The company also conducts exploration and evaluation activities in areas with potential for additional gold discoveries.

The company has mining operations and projects across several regions, including Africa, Australia, the Americas, and other international markets.