AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU Shares Bought by Wellington Management Group LLP

Key Points

• Wellington Management Group LLP significantly increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC by 3,127%, purchasing an additional 543,936 shares, bringing their total to 561,331 shares valued at approximately $20.91 million.
• AngloGold Ashanti recently announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.80 per share, marking an increase from the previous $0.69, which reflects a yield of 610.0%.
• Analysts have varied opinions on the stock, with recent ratings highlighting a consensus of a "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $49.60.

Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 3,127.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 561,331 shares of the mining company's stock after buying an additional 543,936 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned about 0.13% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $20,911,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Korea Investment CORP grew its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 195,350 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $7,295,000 after buying an additional 8,463 shares in the last quarter. Qtron Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the first quarter valued at $540,000. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the first quarter worth $254,000. Fox Run Management L.L.C. lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 191.5% in the first quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 47,038 shares of the mining company's stock worth $1,746,000 after buying an additional 30,902 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 2.4% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,041,932 shares of the mining company's stock worth $150,054,000 after buying an additional 95,668 shares during the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AU has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Scotiabank restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $49.60.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of AU stock traded down $0.16 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $55.19. 3,164,040 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,803,845. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1 year low of $22.45 and a 1 year high of $59.19. The stock has a market cap of $23.16 billion, a PE ratio of 14.68 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $50.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.93.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The mining company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.31 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $2.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.29 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 22.54% and a net margin of 23.60%. Research analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, August 22nd will be given a $0.80 dividend. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.69. This represents a yield of 610.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 22nd. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is currently 85.11%.

AngloGold Ashanti Company 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.