Brokerages Set AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) PT at $49.60

Key Points

• AngloGold Ashanti PLC has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from six analysts, with a twelve-month price objective of $49.60.
• The company recently announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.80 per share, an increase from the previous $0.69, reflecting a payout ratio of 13.30%.
• AngloGold Ashanti's latest quarterly earnings reported $1.25 earnings per share, which fell short of analyst expectations of $1.31, though revenue exceeded estimates at $2.45 billion.

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $49.60.

Several research firms have recently commented on AU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th.

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AU. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth about $406,000. Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth about $229,000. Mariner LLC grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 36.2% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 13,109 shares of the mining company's stock worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 3,485 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 5,799 shares of the mining company's stock worth $134,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 274.8% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,133,744 shares of the mining company's stock worth $118,448,000 after purchasing an additional 3,764,165 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

AU stock traded up $0.94 during trading on Thursday, reaching $55.39. The stock had a trading volume of 1,918,053 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,809,283. AngloGold Ashanti has a 52 week low of $22.45 and a 52 week high of $59.19. The stock's 50 day moving average is $50.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.69. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market cap of $23.25 billion, a PE ratio of 14.73 and a beta of 0.46.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The mining company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.31 by ($0.06). AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 23.60% and a return on equity of 22.54%. The firm had revenue of $2.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 610.0%. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 22nd. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is 85.11%.

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.