Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors Takes Position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 5,946 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Whittier Trust Co. bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 796 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter valued at $82,000. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

NYSE AU opened at $45.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.12 and a beta of 0.49. The company’s fifty day moving average is $41.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.16. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 52-week low of $22.13 and a 52-week high of $48.10.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last posted its quarterly 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. Equities research analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a yield of 1.14%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is 16.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on AU. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, June 1st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. HSBC reiterated a “reduce” rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $42.00 to $43.50 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.30.

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.