Bank of America Corp DE Sells 1,061,671 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Bank of America Corp DE lessened its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 37.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,787,161 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 1,061,671 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE owned 0.43% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $41,248,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,857,324 shares of the mining company's stock worth $467,795,000 after purchasing an additional 3,882,283 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 274.8% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,133,744 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $118,448,000 after acquiring an additional 3,764,165 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 2,680,261 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 25,411,814 shares of the mining company's stock worth $586,504,000 after acquiring an additional 2,491,130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carrhae Capital LLP grew its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 170.0% during the fourth quarter. Carrhae Capital LLP now owns 3,459,193 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $79,838,000 after purchasing an additional 2,177,783 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

NYSE AU traded up $1.46 on Monday, hitting $42.20. 2,993,563 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,579,667. The company has a market capitalization of $17.71 billion, a PE ratio of 13.88 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The business's fifty day moving average is $38.73 and its 200 day moving average is $31.29. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 52 week low of $22.13 and a 52 week high of $46.90.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The mining company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Research analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.69 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is 16.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. HSBC reiterated a "reduce" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday, April 17th. StockNews.com upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $42.00 to $43.50 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $41.30.

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.