Hsbc Holdings PLC Sells 55,303 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• HSBC Holdings PLC reduced its stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC by 51%, selling 55,303 shares and leaving it with 53,098 shares valued at approximately $1.975 million.
• AngloGold Ashanti recently announced a semi-annual dividend increase from $0.69 to $0.80, which is a positive change reflecting a yield of 610.0% and a payout ratio of 85.11%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on AngloGold Ashanti, with four recommending a "Buy," one a "Hold," and one a "Sell," while the average price target is $49.60.

Hsbc Holdings PLC lessened its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 51.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 53,098 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 55,303 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC's holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $1,975,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the first quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 2,601 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti stock opened at $55.46 on Thursday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $50.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.78. The company has a market cap of $23.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.75 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 2.22 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 $59.19.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The mining company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.31 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $2.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 22.54% and a net margin of 23.60%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be paid a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 22nd. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.69. This represents a dividend yield of 610.0%. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is 85.11%.

AngloGold Ashanti Company 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.

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