Credit Agricole S A Acquires 107,654 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• Credit Agricole S A increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC by 23% during the first quarter, owning a total of 575,728 shares valued at approximately $21.37 million.
• AngloGold Ashanti announced a semi-annual dividend increase from $0.69 to $0.80, achieving a significant dividend yield of 610%.
• Analyst ratings for AngloGold Ashanti vary, with four analysts giving a "Buy" rating and the company currently holding a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $49.60.

Credit Agricole S A increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 23.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 575,728 shares of the mining company's stock after acquiring an additional 107,654 shares during the period. Credit Agricole S A owned about 0.14% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $21,371,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AU. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 0.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,002,449 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $787,791,000 after acquiring an additional 145,125 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 274.8% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,133,744 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $118,448,000 after purchasing an additional 3,764,165 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,041,932 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $150,054,000 after purchasing an additional 95,668 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,569,868 shares of the mining company's stock worth $59,313,000 after acquiring an additional 1,045,335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 19.8% during the first quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,337,673 shares of the mining company's stock worth $86,774,000 after purchasing an additional 386,078 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AU traded down $0.3190 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $54.2910. 1,414,653 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,105,702. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1 year low of $22.45 and a 1 year high of $59.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.42 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a current ratio of 2.99. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $50.06 and a 200 day moving average of $42.44.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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). AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 23.60% and a return on equity of 22.54%. The business had revenue of $2.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.29 billion. On average, analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.