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

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the five research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $33.67.

Several research analysts have recently commented on AU shares. Investec raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on 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 set a $30.00 target price (up from $27.00) on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Monday, August 19th. StockNews.com raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE AU opened at $29.97 on Friday. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.55. AngloGold Ashanti has a twelve month low of $15.60 and a twelve month high of $32.57.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The mining company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.17 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti will post 2.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL now owns 14,100 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 17.3% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,938 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 26.1% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,383 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 64,843 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $1,630,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the period. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 12,279 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 682 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

About AngloGold Ashanti

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.