AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Trading Down 4.9% - Should You Sell?

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) traded down 4.9% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $43.66 and last traded at $44.09. 1,189,056 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 56% from the average session volume of 2,694,075 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.36.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AU has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. HSBC reissued a "reduce" rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, June 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Roth Capital initiated coverage on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $52.00 target price for the company. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $42.00 to $43.50 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.08.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 4.1%

The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company's fifty day moving average is $44.18 and its 200-day moving average is $35.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.02 and a beta of 0.49.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The mining company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 21.18% and a net margin of 21.09%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd were given a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.45%.

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Whittier Trust Co. acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 210.6% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 796 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.