Acadian Asset Management LLC Purchases Shares of 149,300 AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• Acadian Asset Management LLC invested approximately $5.54 million in AngloGold Ashanti PLC, acquiring 149,300 shares in the first quarter of the year.
• AngloGold Ashanti announced a semi-annual dividend increase to $0.80, up from $0.69, reflecting a yield of 610.0%.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings report indicated a net margin of 23.60% and earnings per share (EPS) of $1.25, missing analyst estimates by $0.06.

Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 149,300 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $5,538,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter worth about $30,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter worth about $30,000. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter worth about $77,000. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

AU stock traded up $0.17 during trading on Thursday, hitting $64.69. The company had a trading volume of 2,074,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,237,452. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.20 and a beta of 0.54. The business has a 50 day moving average of $55.28 and a 200 day moving average of $46.09. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a fifty-two week low of $22.45 and a fifty-two week high of $67.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The mining company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.31 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $2.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 22.54% and a net margin of 23.60%. As a group, research analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 22nd were issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a yield of 610.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 22nd. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.69. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is currently 85.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AU has been the subject of several recent research reports. Scotiabank restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Zacks Research lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $49.60.

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.