AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Reaches New 52-Week High - What's Next?

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $33.22 and last traded at $33.12, with a volume of 568114 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $31.43.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AU has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Investec upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. StockNews.com downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Scotiabank upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "sector underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $30.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada raised AngloGold Ashanti from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $31.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $31.75.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.46.

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 22.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,857,324 shares of the mining company's stock worth $467,795,000 after buying an additional 3,882,283 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 39.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,448,445 shares of the mining company's stock worth $277,968,000 after acquiring an additional 2,957,304 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 25,411,814 shares of the mining company's stock worth $586,504,000 after acquiring an additional 2,491,130 shares in the last quarter. Carrhae Capital LLP raised its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 170.0% during the 4th quarter. Carrhae Capital LLP now owns 3,459,193 shares of the mining company's stock worth $79,838,000 after acquiring an additional 2,177,783 shares during the period. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,043,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.