AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $41.30.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. HSBC reiterated a “reduce” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $42.00 to $43.50 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AU. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Whittier Trust Co. acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 210.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 796 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AU opened at $40.66 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $38.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.26. AngloGold Ashanti has a 12 month low of $22.13 and a 12 month high of $46.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.37 and a beta of 0.48.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 9th. The mining company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a yield of 2.8%. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is currently 16.45%.

AngloGold Ashanti Company Profile

AngloGold Ashanti plc operates as a gold mining company in Africa, Australia, and the Americas. 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 mine located in the Lake Victoria goldfields of the Mwanza region in north-western Tanzania.