Sei Investments Co. Makes New Investment in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Sei Investments Co. purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 75,819 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,750,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AU. Whittier Trust Co. acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 210.6% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 796 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth $69,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth about $82,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 9.3 %

Shares of NYSE:AU opened at $33.55 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $32.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.14. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 1 year low of $21.65 and a 1 year high of $38.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.08 billion, a PE ratio of 10.48 and a beta of 0.81.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.75 billion. Analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.69 dividend. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.25.

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.