Amundi Has $294.84 Million Position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• Amundi reduced its AngloGold Ashanti position by 1.6% in the first quarter, selling 48,374 shares but retaining 3.03 million shares valued at approximately $294.84 million.
• AngloGold Ashanti reported quarterly earnings of $2.52 per share, exceeding estimates of $2.27, while revenue of $3.24 billion fell slightly short of expectations.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $1.16 per share, implying an annualized yield of 5.6%; analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $110.50.

Amundi cut its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 1.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,028,317 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 48,374 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned approximately 0.60% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $294,837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at $13,777,000. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,139,000. Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth about $6,523,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 606.8% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,054 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $918,000 after purchasing an additional 11,207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd now owns 247,914 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $21,481,000 after purchasing an additional 29,316 shares during the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 5.7%

AngloGold Ashanti stock opened at $82.29 on Friday. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a twelve month low of $45.36 and a twelve month high of $129.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $84.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.27. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.07 and a beta of 0.65.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The mining company reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $3.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.26 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 36.41% and a net margin of 31.11%. As a group, research analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.23 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th were given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.6%. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is 68.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on AU. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Freedom Capital raised AngloGold Ashanti to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $155.00 to $134.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $114.00 to $111.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.50.

AngloGold Ashanti Profile

AngloGold Ashanti is a global gold mining company engaged in the exploration, development, production, processing and sale of gold. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, the company’s core activities span the full mining value chain from greenfield exploration and mine development through to ore processing and rehabilitation. Gold is the primary commodity produced, with individual operations sometimes yielding other by‑products depending on local geology and processing methods.

The company was formed in 2004 through the merger of AngloGold and Ashanti Goldfields, creating a diversified international gold producer.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.