AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Hits New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $38.16 and last traded at $37.34, with a volume of 934728 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $36.18.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AU. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $34.00.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 1.2 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $15.77 billion, a PE ratio of 11.73 and a beta of 0.92. The company's 50 day moving average price is $31.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $28.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

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

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AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.13%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AU. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $392,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,115,000. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 121,389 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $2,802,000 after purchasing an additional 2,320 shares during the period. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Allianz Polska S.A. acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at $562,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company's stock.

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.