Norges Bank Invests $2.33 Million in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 104,679 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $2,332,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sprott Inc. lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 91,168 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $2,104,000 after purchasing an additional 662 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 210.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the mining company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 796 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 10,745 shares of the mining company's stock worth $248,000 after acquiring an additional 910 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 7,043 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $163,000 after buying an additional 1,052 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti stock traded down $1.99 during trading on Thursday, reaching $43.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,694,069 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,442,906. The firm has a market cap of $18.31 billion, a PE ratio of 13.71 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $34.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.18. 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 plc has a fifty-two week low of $21.65 and a fifty-two week high of $46.90.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.75 billion. On average, analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on AU. StockNews.com raised AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. HSBC reiterated a "reduce" rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $36.80.

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.