AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Stock Position Trimmed by Fmr LLC

FMR LLC lessened its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 30.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,316,586 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 3,131,859 shares during the period. FMR LLC owned approximately 1.74% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $166,386,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whittier Trust Co. acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 210.6% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the mining company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 796 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter worth about $69,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

Shares of AU traded down $2.43 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $43.19. The stock had a trading volume of 5,482,179 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,454,249. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a market cap of $18.13 billion, a PE ratio of 13.50 and a beta of 0.81. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a fifty-two week low of $21.65 and a fifty-two week high of $46.90. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $34.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.29.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.75 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti plc 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 was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.69 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a yield of 2.8%. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is currently 43.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AU has been the topic of several recent research reports. HSBC reissued a "reduce" rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com raised AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $36.80.

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.