Handelsbanken Fonder AB Raises Stock Holdings in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) by 30.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 119,500 shares of the mining company’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,000 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $3,182,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AU. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth approximately $596,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the second quarter worth $2,002,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,396,216 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $75,396,000 after purchasing an additional 181,081 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 748.1% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 45,142 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $1,002,000 after purchasing an additional 39,819 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth $1,268,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:AU opened at $25.59 on Wednesday. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a twelve month low of $15.60 and a twelve month high of $32.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company’s 50 day moving average is $28.82 and its 200 day moving average is $26.04.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The mining company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.17 EPS. Analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 2.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.19.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AU has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price 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. Scotiabank reaffirmed a “sector underperform” rating and issued a $30.00 price target (up previously from $27.00) on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.00.

AngloGold Ashanti 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.