Empowered Funds LLC Raises Stock Holdings in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC nearly doubled its AngloGold Ashanti position in the first quarter, increasing its holdings by 94.8% to 212,690 shares valued at approximately $20.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 36.09% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $110.50, although several firms recently lowered their targets.
• AngloGold Ashanti reported quarterly earnings of $2.52 per share, beating estimates, and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.16 per share—an annualized $4.64 payout and approximately 5.9% yield.

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 94.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 212,690 shares of the mining company's stock after purchasing an additional 103,479 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $20,708,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 454.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 471 shares of the mining company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AU shares. Roth Capital cut their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Citigroup dropped their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $114.00 to $111.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Freedom Capital raised AngloGold Ashanti to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $110.50.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

Shares of AU stock opened at $78.90 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $85.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.44. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 52 week low of $45.36 and a 52 week high of $129.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.84 billion, a PE ratio of 11.57 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The mining company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $3.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.26 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 31.11% and a return on equity of 36.41%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.23 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.9%. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.04%.

About AngloGold Ashanti

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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