AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Stake Lifted by Bridgewater Associates LP

Bridgewater Associates LP increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) by 113.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 396,976 shares of the mining company’s stock after purchasing an additional 211,008 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP owned 0.09% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $9,162,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AU. Whittier Trust Co. acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 210.6% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 796 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter valued at $69,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AU has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $37.25.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

AU stock opened at $45.80 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $34.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.18. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 52 week low of $21.65 and a 52 week high of $46.90. The stock has a market cap of $19.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.31 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.73.

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

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.69 dividend. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. This represents a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.13%.

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.