Allianz Asset Management GmbH Sells 532,796 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• Allianz Asset Management GmbH has reduced its stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC by 30.1%, selling 532,796 shares and now holding approximately 1,237,136 shares valued at $56,376,000.
• AngloGold Ashanti declared a semi-annual dividend increase to $0.80 from a previous $0.69, representing a substantial yielding of 610.0%.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings missed estimates, reporting $1.25 EPS against a forecast of $1.31, despite generating revenue of $2.45 billion, exceeding the anticipated $2.29 billion.

Allianz Asset Management GmbH lessened its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 30.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,237,136 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 532,796 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned approximately 0.29% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $56,376,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AU. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 194.3% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 31,619 shares of the mining company's stock worth $1,174,000 after acquiring an additional 20,874 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 11,353 shares of the mining company's stock worth $424,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth approximately $238,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 185.3% during the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,177 shares of the mining company's stock worth $155,000 after acquiring an additional 2,713 shares during the period. Finally, Spire Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 13,908.8% during the 1st quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 9,526 shares of the mining company's stock worth $354,000 after acquiring an additional 9,458 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Down 6.1%

Shares of NYSE AU opened at $73.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a current ratio of 2.99. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 52-week low of $22.45 and a 52-week high of $79.94. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $64.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $51.61. The stock has a market cap of $30.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.61 and a beta of 0.53.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 23.60% and a return on equity of 22.54%. The business had revenue of $2.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS 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 given a $0.80 dividend. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 22nd. This represents a yield of 610.0%. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is currently 85.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Scotiabank reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $58.00.

AngloGold Ashanti 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.

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