Squarepoint Ops LLC Invests $520,000 in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 20,706 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $520,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth $596,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the second quarter worth about $2,002,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,396,216 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $75,396,000 after purchasing an additional 181,081 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 748.1% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 45,142 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $1,002,000 after acquiring an additional 39,819 shares during the period. Finally, Oaktree Fund Advisors LLC grew its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter. Oaktree Fund Advisors LLC now owns 683,604 shares of the mining company's stock worth $17,179,000 after acquiring an additional 64,993 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on AU shares. Scotiabank reiterated a "sector underperform" rating and set a $30.00 price target (up from $27.00) on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Monday, August 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.67.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 3.6 %

Shares of AU stock traded up $0.92 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $26.78. 3,056,509 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,958,939. The company's 50 day moving average is $28.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.07. 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 plc has a 1 year low of $15.60 and a 1 year high of $32.57. The firm has a market cap of $11.21 billion, a PE ratio of 8.37 and a beta of 0.98.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The mining company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.17 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 2.58 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti's previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.19. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is 13.75%.

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.