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

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $86.00.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AU. Weiss Ratings raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Roth Capital raised their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Citigroup boosted their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, HSBC reiterated a “reduce” rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, October 9th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,572 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 31,919 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $2,245,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 33.4% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 599 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,528 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 27.3% during the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,006 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

AU opened at $99.15 on Friday. AngloGold Ashanti has a 12-month low of $26.78 and a 12-month high of $100.31. The company has a current ratio of 2.58, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $86.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.42.

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

AngloGold Ashanti Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were given a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 80.18%.

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.