Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Grows Stock Holdings in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 274.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,133,744 shares of the mining company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,764,165 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.22% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $118,448,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AU. Whittier Trust Co. purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 796 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter valued at $69,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

Shares of AU stock opened at $39.55 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 0.81. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $35.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.96. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a one year low of $22.13 and a one year high of $46.90. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AU shares. Scotiabank increased 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. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective 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 upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, HSBC reiterated a "reduce" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday, April 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $36.80.

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.

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