Aigen Investment Management LP Invests $1.31 Million in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU)

Key Points

• Aigen Investment Management LP has acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC, purchasing 35,327 shares worth approximately $1.31 million.
• AngloGold Ashanti recently announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.80, up from the previous $0.69, representing a significant dividend yield of 610.0%.
• Wall Street analysts remain cautiously optimistic, with several firms raising their price targets on AngloGold Ashanti, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. which increased its target from $58.00 to $63.00.

Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 35,327 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $1,311,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AU. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,002,449 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $787,791,000 after acquiring an additional 145,125 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 274.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,133,744 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $118,448,000 after purchasing an additional 3,764,165 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 3,767.1% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,751,410 shares of the mining company's stock worth $63,503,000 after buying an additional 2,680,261 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,569,868 shares of the mining company's stock worth $59,313,000 after buying an additional 1,045,335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd grew its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 19.8% in the 1st quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,337,673 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $86,774,000 after buying an additional 386,078 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

AU traded down $1.13 on Thursday, reaching $54.66. The company had a trading volume of 2,036,986 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,143,644. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a one year low of $22.45 and a one year high of $59.19. The company has a market capitalization of $22.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.54 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a fifty day moving average of $49.10 and a 200-day moving average of $41.11. The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 1.57 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 (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 23.60% and a return on equity of 24.25%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 610.0%. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is 13.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on AU. Roth Capital reissued a "buy" rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Scotiabank reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Monday. Finally, HSBC reiterated a "reduce" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.