AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU Stock Acquired by Ninety One SA Pty Ltd

Ninety One SA Pty Ltd increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) by 1.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 11,398,551 shares of the mining company’s stock after purchasing an additional 203,418 shares during the quarter. AngloGold Ashanti makes up 53.5% of Ninety One SA Pty Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Ninety One SA Pty Ltd’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $1,069,147,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 2nd quarter worth $100,848,000. Man Group plc grew its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 113.9% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,363,527 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $116,282,000 after buying an additional 726,182 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter worth $54,152,000. Carrhae Capital LLP raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 199.1% in the 2nd quarter. Carrhae Capital LLP now owns 756,610 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $61,202,000 after acquiring an additional 503,644 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 93.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 800,951 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $77,981,000 after acquiring an additional 387,196 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AU traded up $0.90 during trading on Thursday, hitting $89.74. 2,377,298 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,881,901. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1-year low of $62.55 and a 1-year high of $129.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 2.07 and a current ratio of 2.71. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $102.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.78. The company has a market capitalization of $45.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.03 and a beta of 0.73.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The mining company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.03 by ($0.05). AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 32.19% and a return on equity of 38.77%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st were given a dividend of $0.72 per share. This is a decrease from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on AU. Roth Capital cut their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Citigroup lowered their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $128.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $104.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $120.14.

AngloGold Ashanti Profile

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE: AU) is a global gold mining company engaged in the exploration, development, and production of gold. Its activities include operating mines, processing ore into doré and bullion, and developing mineral resources and reserves. The company also conducts exploration and evaluation activities in areas with potential for additional gold discoveries.

The company has mining operations and projects across several regions, including Africa, Australia, the Americas, and other international markets.