AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $41.30.

Several analysts have recently commented on AU shares. HSBC reiterated a "reduce" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com raised AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Scotiabank upped their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $42.00 to $43.50 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 10.4%

AngloGold Ashanti stock opened at $40.13 on Tuesday. AngloGold Ashanti has a fifty-two week low of $22.13 and a fifty-two week high of $46.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.54 and a beta of 0.48. The stock's fifty day moving average is $38.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.73.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 9th. The mining company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. Analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.69 per share. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 378.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,782 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 3,782 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth $248,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at $69,000. Polianta Ltd acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at $1,103,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 177.9% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,124 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $303,000 after acquiring an additional 8,401 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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