AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Shares Purchased by Allianz Asset Management GmbH

Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 39.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,934,603 shares of the mining company's stock after acquiring an additional 542,463 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned about 0.46% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $44,651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth $69,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the third quarter valued at $126,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 378.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,782 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $127,000 after buying an additional 3,782 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 72.6% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,991 shares of the mining company's stock worth $151,000 after acquiring an additional 2,520 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AU shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $34.00.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE AU traded up $0.21 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $31.01. The stock had a trading volume of 1,485,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,441,074. The firm's 50 day moving average is $27.83 and its 200 day moving average is $27.71. 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 plc has a twelve month low of $17.94 and a twelve month high of $33.77.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.75 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%.

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.