Ramirez Asset Management Inc. Makes New Investment in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Ramirez Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 73,316 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $1,692,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 297.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 259,120 shares of the mining company's stock worth $6,900,000 after purchasing an additional 193,992 shares in the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the third quarter worth approximately $368,000. FMR LLC raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 39.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,448,445 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $277,968,000 after acquiring an additional 2,957,304 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP grew its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 80.2% in the third quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 185,968 shares of the mining company's stock worth $4,952,000 after acquiring an additional 82,788 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 209,975 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $5,592,000 after purchasing an additional 9,706 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on AU shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $36.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $34.00.

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AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

AU stock traded up $0.61 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $37.73. 1,650,392 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,387,867. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a twelve month low of $21.65 and a twelve month high of $38.61. The company has a market capitalization of $15.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.78 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.75 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

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

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.