AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Shares Purchased by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 201,558 shares of the mining company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,644 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $3,767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 187.9% in the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 3,677 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 2,400 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 132.0% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,023 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 2,289 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 75.0% in the third quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 6,342 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 2,717 shares during the period. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 6.3% in the third quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 10,784 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $23.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. HSBC downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $24.25.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

AU opened at $22.03 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $21.17 and a 200-day moving average of $19.09. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 12-month low of $14.91 and a 12-month high of $30.26.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.03.

AngloGold Ashanti Company Profile

AngloGold Ashanti plc operates as a gold mining company in Africa, the Americas, and Australia. The company primarily explores for gold, as well as produces silver and sulphuric acid as by-products. Its flagship property is a 100% owned Geita project located in the Lake Victoria goldfields of the Mwanza region in north-western Tanzania.