AQR Capital Management LLC Sells 692,201 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC significantly reduced its stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC by 74.4%, selling 692,201 shares during the first quarter, leaving it with 238,580 shares valued at approximately $8.86 million.
• AngloGold Ashanti's recent quarterly earnings reported an EPS of $1.25, which fell short of the consensus estimate of $1.31, despite revenues exceeding expectations at $2.45 billion.
• The company announced a dividend increase to $0.80 per share from a previous $0.69, reflecting a dividend yield of 610.0% and a payout ratio of 85.11%.

AQR Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 74.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 238,580 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 692,201 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $8,856,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AU. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter worth $30,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter worth $30,000. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter worth $77,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AU has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Friday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Zacks Research lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $49.60.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

Shares of AU stock opened at $64.72 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $52.99 and a 200-day moving average of $44.63. The company has a market cap of $27.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.21 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.99 and a quick ratio of 2.22. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a one year low of $22.45 and a one year high of $65.11.

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

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

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

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.

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