28,761 Shares in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU Bought by ABN Amro Investment Solutions

Key Points

• ABN Amro Investment Solutions bought 28,761 shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the first quarter, a position worth about $2.8 million.
• Several other institutional investors also increased or initiated stakes, and institutions now own 36.09% of the company.
• AngloGold Ashanti posted better-than-expected earnings of $2.52 per share, and the company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $1.16 per share, implying a 5.9% annualized yield.

ABN Amro Investment Solutions purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 28,761 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $2,800,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter valued at about $321,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 30.3% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,023 shares of the mining company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 106.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,367 shares of the mining company's stock worth $153,000 after purchasing an additional 1,734 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 88.4% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 136,543 shares of the mining company's stock worth $6,200,000 after purchasing an additional 64,066 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,740,000. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $155.00 to $134.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Citigroup decreased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Roth Capital lowered their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $128.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $110.50.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 3.4%

Shares of AU opened at $78.41 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $39.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.50 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 2.11. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a one year low of $45.36 and a one year high of $129.14. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $85.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.69.

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

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is 68.04%.

AngloGold Ashanti 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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