35,530 Shares in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU Purchased by Burney Co.

Burney Co. bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 35,530 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,499,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 30.3% in the second 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 during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 2nd quarter worth $69,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 579.2% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,664 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 1,419 shares during the period. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 162.5% in the 2nd quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 2,100 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:AU opened at $91.25 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 2.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market capitalization of $38.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.10 and a beta of 0.58. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 52-week low of $22.45 and a 52-week high of $91.65. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $78.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.76.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The mining company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $2.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 26.25% and a return on equity of 24.01%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th were paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is presently 80.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on AU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Roth Capital boosted their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Citigroup raised their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, HSBC reissued a “reduce” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.00.

About AngloGold Ashanti

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.