AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.06 EPS

Key Points

• AngloGold Ashanti reported earnings of $1.25 per share, missing analyst expectations of $1.31 by $0.06, despite revenue exceeding forecasts at $2.45 billion.
• The company's stock rose by 5.5% following the earnings report, and it has a market cap of $20.48 billion with a PE ratio of 12.98.
• AngloGold Ashanti announced a dividend of $0.125, reflecting a payout ratio of 16.45%, after shareholders received the payment on June 13.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The mining company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.31 by ($0.06), Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $2.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 24.25% and a net margin of 23.60%.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 4.8%

Shares of AU stock traded up $2.54 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $55.71. 1,393,422 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,154,945. AngloGold Ashanti has a 1-year low of $22.45 and a 1-year high of $55.78. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $47.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.38 billion, a PE ratio of 14.80 and a beta of 0.46.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, August 22nd will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 610.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 22nd. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.69. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is presently 13.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on AU. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, June 1st. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $42.00 to $43.50 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, HSBC reaffirmed a "reduce" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday, April 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $45.08.

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti stock. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 8,651 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $321,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company's stock.

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.