Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Grows Stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC by 20.2%, owning 458,843 shares worth approximately $17 million after a purchase of 77,216 additional shares.
• The firm's semi-annual dividend payout will increase to $0.80 per share, up from the previous $0.69, with a yield of 610.0%.
• Despite a revenue of $2.45 billion surpassing estimates, AngloGold Ashanti's earnings per share missed consensus estimates by $0.06, totaling $1.25 for the quarter.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 20.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 458,843 shares of the mining company's stock after acquiring an additional 77,216 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $17,032,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AU. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 769.5% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,939 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $109,000 after acquiring an additional 2,601 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $115,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

AU traded down $0.14 on Thursday, hitting $55.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 846,306 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,089,420. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $50.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.78. The company has a quick ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 12 month low of $22.45 and a 12 month high of $59.19. The firm has a market cap of $23.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.68 and a beta of 0.46.

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

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

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

AngloGold Ashanti 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.