Caprock Group LLC Buys 12,694 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• Caprock Group LLC increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 23.9% in Q4, buying 12,694 shares to hold 65,706 shares worth about $5.603 million.
• AngloGold reported quarterly EPS of $1.90 (in line with estimates) and revenue of $3.07 billion (above consensus), with strong margins; analysts have an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target of $112.20, while sell-side forecasts project about 8.78 EPS for the year.
• The company cut its dividend, paying $0.173 this quarter ( $0.69 annualized, yield ~0.7%) and showing a payout ratio of 133.33%, suggesting the current payout level may be unsustainable.

Caprock Group LLC grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 23.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 65,706 shares of the mining company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,694 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC's holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $5,603,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AU. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth approximately $321,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 30.3% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,023 shares of the mining company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 106.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,367 shares of the mining company's stock worth $153,000 after buying an additional 1,734 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 88.4% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 136,543 shares of the mining company's stock worth $6,200,000 after buying an additional 64,066 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,740,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

AngloGold Ashanti stock opened at $98.80 on Thursday. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 12 month low of $38.61 and a 12 month high of $129.14. The company has a current ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $104.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.16. The company has a market cap of $49.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.04 and a beta of 0.66.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 20th. The mining company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.90. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 29.11% and a net margin of 26.65%.The business had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.78 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.173 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is presently 133.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AU. Zacks Research downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Citigroup boosted their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and issued a $122.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Scotiabank cut their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $133.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $112.20.

AngloGold Ashanti Company 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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