Greenleaf Trust Makes New Investment in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU)

Greenleaf Trust bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 7,274 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $270,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 47.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 381,627 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $8,808,000 after acquiring an additional 122,507 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter valued at about $262,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter worth about $406,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 232,629 shares of the mining company's stock worth $5,369,000 after buying an additional 22,654 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 210.6% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 796 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:AU traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $47.13. 2,307,468 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,208,865. 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 52 week low of $22.45 and a 52 week high of $51.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.50 and a beta of 0.48. The firm's 50 day moving average is $45.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.39.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last released its 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 firm 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 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $42.00 to $43.50 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. HSBC reissued a "reduce" rating and issued a $35.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Roth Capital boosted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $45.08.

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.