Van ECK Associates Corp Boosts Stock Position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 10.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,411,814 shares of the mining company's stock after buying an additional 2,491,130 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 6.05% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $586,504,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AU. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 1.0% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 47,103 shares of the mining company's stock worth $1,254,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 17.6% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 7,043 shares of the mining company's stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 1,052 shares during the period. Cigna Investments Inc. New increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 9,581 shares of the mining company's stock worth $214,000 after acquiring an additional 1,390 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 26,080 shares of the mining company's stock worth $695,000 after acquiring an additional 1,508 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $31.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. StockNews.com lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "sector underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $30.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $31.75.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

AU traded down $1.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $32.15. 1,911,781 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,369,018. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 1-year low of $16.82 and a 1-year high of $33.77. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $26.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

AngloGold Ashanti 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.