Short Interest in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Increases By 19.2%

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,270,000 shares, a growth of 19.2% from the March 15th total of 4,420,000 shares. Approximately 1.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,680,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE:AU traded down $1.01 during trading on Friday, hitting $39.55. 2,550,384 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,490,707. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market cap of $16.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $35.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.96. AngloGold Ashanti has a 1-year low of $22.13 and a 1-year high of $46.90.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.75 billion. Equities analysts predict 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 was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.69 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AU has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. HSBC reaffirmed a "reduce" rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $36.80.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 25,411,814 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $586,504,000 after acquiring an additional 2,491,130 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 22.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,857,324 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $467,795,000 after purchasing an additional 3,882,283 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 274.8% in 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 during the period. Carrhae Capital LLP boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 170.0% during the fourth quarter. Carrhae Capital LLP now owns 3,459,193 shares of the mining company's stock worth $79,838,000 after purchasing an additional 2,177,783 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 3,767.1% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,751,410 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $63,503,000 after buying an additional 2,680,261 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

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.