Bank of Montreal Can Sells 67,189 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Bank of Montreal Can trimmed its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 34.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 128,744 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 67,189 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can's holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $2,971,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter valued at about $969,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 8,860 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $204,000 after acquiring an additional 844 shares in the last quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth about $3,046,000. Aviva PLC boosted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 353,771 shares of the mining company's stock worth $7,887,000 after acquiring an additional 60,485 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth $484,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 2.4 %

NYSE AU traded up $1.06 on Monday, hitting $44.31. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,066,801 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,448,304. The company's 50-day moving average is $34.65 and its 200 day moving average is $29.44. The firm has a market cap of $18.60 billion, a PE ratio of 13.86 and a beta of 0.81. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 1-year low of $21.65 and a 1-year high of $46.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

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

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. HSBC reissued a "reduce" rating and issued a $35.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.