113,601 Shares in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU Bought by Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund

Key Points

• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired 113,601 AngloGold Ashanti shares worth approximately $11.1 million, while other institutions also increased or initiated positions. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company.
• AngloGold Ashanti reported quarterly EPS of $2.52, beating estimates of $2.27, on revenue of $3.24 billion. Analysts expect full-year EPS of $8.23.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.16, or $4.64 annualized, representing a 5.9% yield. Wall Street maintains a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $110.50.

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 113,601 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $11,060,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AU. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter worth about $54,152,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 6,386,503 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $620,874,000 after purchasing an additional 98,250 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 11.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 94,642 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $9,214,000 after purchasing an additional 9,411 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter worth about $875,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 14.8% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 160,330 shares of the mining company's stock worth $15,610,000 after purchasing an additional 20,687 shares during the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

Shares of AU opened at $78.90 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 2.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.57 and a beta of 0.65. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 12-month low of $45.36 and a 12-month high of $129.14. The firm's 50 day moving average is $85.03 and its 200-day moving average is $96.44.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The mining company reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $3.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.26 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 36.41% and a net margin of 31.11%. Equities research analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.9%. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AU shares. Freedom Capital raised AngloGold Ashanti to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Zacks Research lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $110.50.

AngloGold Ashanti Company Profile

AngloGold Ashanti is a global gold mining company engaged in the exploration, development, production, processing and sale of gold. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, the company’s core activities span the full mining value chain from greenfield exploration and mine development through to ore processing and rehabilitation. Gold is the primary commodity produced, with individual operations sometimes yielding other by‑products depending on local geology and processing methods.

The company was formed in 2004 through the merger of AngloGold and Ashanti Goldfields, creating a diversified international gold producer.

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