AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• AngloGold Ashanti has received an average analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from nine covering firms, with an average 12-month price target of about $111.67.
• Recent analyst actions were mixed but mostly constructive: Citigroup raised its target to $130, Freedom Capital upgraded the stock to strong-buy, while Weiss Ratings downgraded it to hold and RBC trimmed its target to $111.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $2.52 per share, and it recently boosted its dividend to $1.16 per share quarterly, implying an annualized yield of 5.7%.

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nine research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $111.6667.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup boosted their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Freedom Capital raised AngloGold Ashanti to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Roth Capital dropped their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $114.00 to $111.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

AU traded up $0.13 during trading on Friday, hitting $82.04. The stock had a trading volume of 2,180,030 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,693,510. The firm has a market cap of $41.42 billion, a PE ratio of 12.03 and a beta of 0.65. AngloGold Ashanti has a 12 month low of $45.36 and a 12 month high of $129.14. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $89.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.22.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The mining company reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $3.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.26 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 31.11% and a return on equity of 36.41%. Analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti will post 8.91 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.7%. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 29th. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is presently 68.04%.

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AU. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About AngloGold Ashanti

AngloGold Ashanti is a global gold mining company engaged in the exploration, development, production, processing and sale of gold. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, the company’s core activities span the full mining value chain from greenfield exploration and mine development through to ore processing and rehabilitation. Gold is the primary commodity produced, with individual operations sometimes yielding other by‑products depending on local geology and processing methods.

The company was formed in 2004 through the merger of AngloGold and Ashanti Goldfields, creating a diversified international gold producer.

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