AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Shares Gap Down - Should You Sell?

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) shares gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $42.79, but opened at $41.65. AngloGold Ashanti shares last traded at $42.37, with a volume of 1,379,271 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AU has been the subject of several research analyst reports. HSBC reiterated a "reduce" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $36.80.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 5.3 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market cap of $18.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.50 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.40.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $1.75 billion. Equities research analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.69 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is 43.13%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AU. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 546.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 211,826 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $5,641,000 after purchasing an additional 179,045 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 327,108 shares of the mining company's stock worth $8,711,000 after buying an additional 8,676 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 80.5% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 25,452 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $678,000 after buying an additional 11,352 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 3,782 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth about $248,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.