AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Reaches New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $113.47 and last traded at $108.19, with a volume of 5065650 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $106.26.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 13th. Roth Mkm raised their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.00.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 1.8%

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 firm has a market cap of $44.60 billion, a PE ratio of 23.83 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $89.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.01.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last announced its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $2.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 26.25% and a return on equity of 24.01%. Analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were given a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 80.18%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 25.7% during the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 6,810 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $581,000 after purchasing an additional 1,391 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 280.1% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,664 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 2,700 shares during the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc increased its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 4,246 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $362,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,743 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $319,000 after buying an additional 629 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd lifted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd now owns 247,914 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $21,481,000 after buying an additional 29,316 shares during the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Company Profile

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.