AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU Shares Bought by Cetera Investment Advisers

Key Points

• Cetera Investment Advisers increased its AngloGold Ashanti stake by 14.8% in the first quarter, holding 160,330 shares valued at approximately $15.6 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 36.09% of the company.
• AngloGold Ashanti reported quarterly EPS of $2.52, exceeding analysts’ $2.27 estimate, while revenue reached $3.24 billion. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.16, implying a 5.9% annualized yield.
• AU shares opened at $78.90, below the analyst consensus price target of $110.50. Despite several recent target cuts and mixed ratings, analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating.

Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 14.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 160,330 shares of the mining company's stock after buying an additional 20,687 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $15,610,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,777 shares of the mining company's stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 4,246 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $362,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,572 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $305,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 0.5% during the third quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 31,919 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $2,245,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 33.4% during the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 599 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

AU stock opened at $78.90 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $39.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.57 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $85.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $96.44. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a fifty-two week low of $45.36 and a fifty-two week high of $129.14. The company has a quick ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The mining company reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $3.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 31.11% and a return on equity of 36.41%. Sell-side analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AU shares. 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 report on Thursday, July 16th. Roth Capital reduced their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price 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, Weiss Ratings cut AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.

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