Axa S.A. Has $7.06 Million Holdings in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

AXA S.A. decreased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 280,841 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 18,201 shares during the quarter. AXA S.A. owned approximately 0.07% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $7,058,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AU. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 36.1% in the 1st 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 last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 108.9% in the first 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 during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 32.4% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,215 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 1,032 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 338.3% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,471 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 2,679 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the first quarter worth about $118,000. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AU opened at $27.67 on Friday. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 52-week low of $14.91 and a 52-week high of $32.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The business has a fifty day moving average of $28.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.78.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The mining company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.17 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 2.58 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti's previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Scotiabank reissued a "sector underperform" rating and issued a $30.00 target price (up previously from $27.00) on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $32.00.

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.