Cerity Partners LLC Buys New Stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU)

Key Points

• Cerity Partners LLC made a new investment of $312,000 in AngloGold Ashanti PLC, acquiring 8,400 shares during the 1st quarter of the year.
• Analyst ratings for AngloGold Ashanti vary, with one downgrading the stock from "strong-buy" to "buy", but others, including Royal Bank of Canada and JPMorgan Chase, increasing their price targets and giving optimistic outlooks.
• AngloGold Ashanti recently announced a $0.125 dividend, representing a yield of 1.14%, with a dividend payout ratio currently at 16.45%.

Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 8,400 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $312,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Alps Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 139.6% during the 1st quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 103,365 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $3,837,000 after purchasing an additional 60,218 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter valued at about $270,000. Ninety One UK Ltd grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 19.8% during the 1st quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,337,673 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $86,774,000 after purchasing an additional 386,078 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 12.3% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 673,608 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $25,004,000 after purchasing an additional 73,671 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 58.6% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 489,991 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $18,188,000 after purchasing an additional 181,000 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

NYSE AU traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $50.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,412,622 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,146,484. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $46.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1 year low of $22.45 and a 1 year high of $51.93. The company has a market capitalization of $20.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.45 and a beta of 0.48.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The mining company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 21.18% and a net margin of 21.09%. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were paid a $0.125 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is 16.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AU has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut AngloGold Ashanti from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 1st. Roth Capital lifted their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $42.00 to $43.50 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, HSBC reaffirmed a "reduce" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $45.08.

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.