Alps Advisors Inc. Increases Stock Position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU)

Alps Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 139.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 103,365 shares of the mining company's stock after acquiring an additional 60,218 shares during the quarter. Alps Advisors Inc.'s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $3,837,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,857,324 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $467,795,000 after purchasing an additional 3,882,283 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 274.8% during 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 period. Carrhae Capital LLP increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 170.0% during the fourth quarter. Carrhae Capital LLP now owns 3,459,193 shares of the mining company's stock worth $79,838,000 after acquiring an additional 2,177,783 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,680,261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,569,868 shares of the mining company's stock worth $59,313,000 after acquiring an additional 1,045,335 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 1.2%

AU stock traded up $0.57 during trading on Friday, reaching $47.10. The stock had a trading volume of 2,266,203 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,884,995. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a one year low of $22.45 and a one year high of $51.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company's 50 day moving average is $45.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.06. The company has a market capitalization of $19.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49 and a beta of 0.48.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The mining company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 21.09% and a return on equity of 21.18%. Equities research analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were paid a $0.125 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is 16.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on AU. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 1st. Roth Capital boosted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. HSBC reissued a "reduce" rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.42.

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.