Short Interest in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Expands By 43.2%

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 11,930,000 shares, a growth of 43.2% from the October 15th total of 8,330,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,210,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.4 days.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

Shares of AU stock traded down $0.18 on Friday, reaching $23.83. 1,484,997 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,474,569. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.83. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $27.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.93. AngloGold Ashanti has a 12-month low of $15.80 and a 12-month high of $32.57.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AU. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 22,920,684 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $610,378,000 after buying an additional 80,563 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 0.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,808,722 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $373,154,000 after purchasing an additional 65,025 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 39.5% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,448,445 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $277,968,000 after purchasing an additional 2,957,304 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 159.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,251,492 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $33,327,000 after purchasing an additional 768,363 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barings LLC boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 395.0% during the 2nd quarter. Barings LLC now owns 1,101,183 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $27,818,000 after purchasing an additional 878,717 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on AU shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Scotiabank restated a “sector underperform” rating and issued a $30.00 target price (up from $27.00) on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Investec upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.67.

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.