AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $112.20.

Several research analysts have recently commented on AU shares. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $133.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Zacks Research cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $122.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Friday, February 20th.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of AU opened at $100.91 on Friday. AngloGold Ashanti has a 12 month low of $32.87 and a 12 month high of $129.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $104.12 and its 200-day moving average is $89.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.95 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The mining company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.90. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 26.65% and a return on equity of 29.11%. The company had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.99 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.173 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 133.33%.

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 129.0% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 490 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Optimum Investment Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

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.