AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) Short Interest Update

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,760,000 shares, a growth of 24.7% from the May 15th total of 4,620,000 shares. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,260,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of AU traded down $0.28 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $48.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,841,928 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,678,191. The company's 50-day moving average is $43.64 and its 200-day moving average is $34.41. AngloGold Ashanti has a 52-week low of $22.45 and a 52-week high of $51.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.81 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The mining company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 21.09% and a return on equity of 21.18%. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were given a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.14%. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is presently 16.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AU. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 11,353 shares of the mining company's stock worth $424,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 5,799 shares of the mining company's stock worth $134,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Forefront Wealth Management Inc. now owns 38,529 shares of the mining company's stock worth $1,430,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Sprott Inc. raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 91,168 shares of the mining company's stock worth $2,104,000 after acquiring an additional 662 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 796 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on AU shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 1st. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $42.00 to $43.50 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. HSBC reissued a "reduce" rating and issued a $35.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Roth Capital began coverage on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $52.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.08.

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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