U S Global Investors Inc. Trims Holdings in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

U S Global Investors Inc. decreased its position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 40.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 60,000 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 40,000 shares during the quarter. U S Global Investors Inc.'s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $1,385,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC boosted 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 worth $277,968,000 after acquiring an additional 2,957,304 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 25,411,814 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $586,504,000 after acquiring an additional 2,491,130 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth about $45,043,000. TT International Asset Management LTD boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 51.3% in the third quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD now owns 2,836,110 shares of the mining company's stock worth $75,525,000 after acquiring an additional 962,141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 159.0% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,251,492 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $33,327,000 after purchasing an additional 768,363 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 2.8 %

AngloGold Ashanti stock traded up $0.83 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $30.36. 2,427,207 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,321,254. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 52-week low of $20.05 and a 52-week high of $33.77. The firm has a market cap of $12.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.49 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.73. The company's 50-day moving average is $28.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.69.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.75 billion. On average, analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.69 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Scotiabank increased their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $34.00.

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.