AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $36.80.

AU has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Scotiabank boosted their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. HSBC restated a "reduce" rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

AngloGold Ashanti stock traded down $2.60 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $40.54. 7,443,996 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,485,991. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.73. The stock has a market cap of $17.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 0.81. AngloGold Ashanti has a 12-month low of $21.66 and a 12-month high of $46.90. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $35.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.74.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.75 billion. Equities research analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AU. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 2.1% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 11,353 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $424,000 after buying an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 5,799 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $134,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Forefront Wealth Management Inc. now owns 38,529 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $1,430,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Sprott Inc. increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 91,168 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $2,104,000 after acquiring an additional 662 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position 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 worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 796 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.