Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 23,029 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 664 shares during the quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $532,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AU. Whittier Trust Co. purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 796 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth about $69,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

Shares of AU stock opened at $40.46 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.98 billion, a PE ratio of 13.31 and a beta of 0.48. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 52-week low of $22.13 and a 52-week high of $46.90. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $38.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The mining company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is currently 16.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on AU shares. StockNews.com raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. HSBC reiterated a “reduce” rating and issued a $35.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $42.00 to $43.50 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $41.30.

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.