AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU Shares Sold by IFP Advisors Inc

Key Points

• IFP Advisors cut its AngloGold Ashanti stake by 36.5% in the second quarter, selling 95,096 shares and retaining 165,301 shares valued at approximately $13.4 million.
• Institutional ownership remains significant at 36.09%, with several major investors—including Arrowstreet Capital, State Street and AQR Capital—substantially increasing their positions.
• AngloGold Ashanti reported quarterly EPS of $1.98, below the $2.03 consensus estimate, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $110.50.

IFP Advisors Inc reduced its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 36.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 165,301 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 95,096 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $13,371,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 406.9% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 6,288,253 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $539,119,000 after buying an additional 5,047,686 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth about $426,477,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 1,175.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,967,173 shares of the mining company's stock worth $226,354,000 after acquiring an additional 4,577,807 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 5,109.9% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,082,326 shares of the mining company's stock worth $179,286,000 after acquiring an additional 2,042,357 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 64.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,186,463 shares of the mining company's stock worth $357,022,000 after acquiring an additional 1,641,545 shares in the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of AU opened at $107.85 on Wednesday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $93.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.46 and a beta of 0.74. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1-year low of $61.31 and a 1-year high of $129.14. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The mining company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.03 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 38.77% and a net margin of 32.19%. Analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.14 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st were issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is presently 6.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AU has been the subject of several research reports. Zacks Research lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $128.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Freedom Capital raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Citigroup cut their target price 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average 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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