AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $34.00.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $36.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, February 20th.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 2.4 %

NYSE:AU traded up $0.83 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $35.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,125,261 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,321,706. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.14 and a beta of 0.92. 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 fifty day moving average of $30.96 and a 200-day moving average of $27.94. AngloGold Ashanti has a 52-week low of $21.23 and a 52-week high of $36.69.

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AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.75 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.69 dividend. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a yield of 2.8%. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AU. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 5,799 shares of the mining company's stock worth $134,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Sprott Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 91,168 shares of the mining company's stock worth $2,104,000 after acquiring an additional 662 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 210.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the mining company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 796 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 8,860 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 844 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 10,745 shares of the mining company's stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 910 shares during the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.