AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $28.50.

AU has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector underperform” rating and issued a $30.00 target price (up previously from $27.00) on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Monday, August 19th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 0.2 %

AU stock opened at $27.39 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.47 billion, a PE ratio of 8.56 and a beta of 0.98. AngloGold Ashanti has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $32.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $29.04 and a 200 day moving average of $25.17.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The mining company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.17 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti will post 2.39 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a yield of 0.7%. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.19. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.75%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth about $275,000. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth approximately $539,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $340,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 39.9% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 7,525 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 2,146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth approximately $230,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

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.