AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Shares Down 4.3% - Time to Sell?

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) shares dropped 4.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $46.73 and last traded at $45.87. Approximately 321,977 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 2,857,080 shares. The stock had previously closed at $47.93.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AU has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Scotiabank upped their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $42.00 to $43.50 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Roth Capital increased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen cut AngloGold Ashanti from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 1st. Finally, HSBC restated a "reduce" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $43.42.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Down 5.5%

The stock has a market cap of $19.01 billion, a PE ratio of 14.89 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a 50-day moving average of $44.78 and a 200 day moving average of $36.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 2.34.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 9th. The mining company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 21.18% and a net margin of 21.09%. Equities research analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were paid a $0.125 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 30th. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is 16.45%.

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,624,000. TrueWealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 2nd quarter worth about $547,000. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 194.3% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 31,619 shares of the mining company's stock worth $1,174,000 after buying an additional 20,874 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter worth about $5,538,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 25.5% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,963,318 shares of the mining company's stock worth $72,878,000 after buying an additional 398,684 shares during the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.