Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 24,543 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $566,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,857,324 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $467,795,000 after buying an additional 3,882,283 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 274.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,133,744 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $118,448,000 after purchasing an additional 3,764,165 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 3,767.1% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,751,410 shares of the mining company's stock worth $63,503,000 after buying an additional 2,680,261 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 25,411,814 shares of the mining company's stock worth $586,504,000 after purchasing an additional 2,491,130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carrhae Capital LLP increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 170.0% during the fourth quarter. Carrhae Capital LLP now owns 3,459,193 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $79,838,000 after acquiring an additional 2,177,783 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 2.1 %

NYSE:AU traded up $0.83 on Monday, hitting $40.43. 779,987 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,484,055. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $35.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $29.98. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 52 week low of $22.13 and a 52 week high of $46.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $16.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.63 and a beta of 0.81.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.75 billion. As a group, analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on AU shares. StockNews.com raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, HSBC reissued a "reduce" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $41.00.

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.