Alps Advisors Inc. Grows Stock Holdings 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 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 103,365 shares of the mining company's stock after purchasing 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.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Whittier Trust Co. acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 210.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the mining company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 796 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of AU traded down $0.48 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $47.49. 3,266,389 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,883,352. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.62 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm's fifty day moving average is $45.35 and its 200-day moving average is $37.32. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1 year low of $22.45 and a 1 year high of $51.11.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 9th. The mining company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 21.09% and a return on equity of 21.18%. The business had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 1st. HSBC reaffirmed a "reduce" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Roth Capital upped their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $42.00 to $43.50 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $45.08.

About AngloGold Ashanti

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.