AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Trading Down 2.7%

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) shares fell 2.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $28.27 and last traded at $28.35. 334,259 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 1,926,065 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.14.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AU. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com raised AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector underperform" rating and set a $30.00 price objective (up from $27.00) on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $32.00.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $28.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The mining company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.17 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 2.58 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti's previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a yield of 0.7%.

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AU. CWM LLC increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 36.1% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,890 shares of the mining company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 108.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,505 shares of the mining company's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 1,306 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 32.4% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,215 shares of the mining company's stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 1,032 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 338.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,471 shares of the mining company's stock worth $87,000 after buying an additional 2,679 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth $118,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.