Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Buys New Shares in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• Kestra Private Wealth bought a new stake of 13,356 shares in AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) during Q4, valued at about $1.14 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 36.09% of the stock.
• AngloGold Ashanti reported Q results of $1.90 EPS (meeting estimates) and $3.07 billion revenue (beating estimates), with a strong net margin of 26.65% and return on equity of 29.11%; analysts project 8.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The company recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.173 (annualized $0.69, yield 0.7%) after a cut, leaving a payout ratio of 133.33%, while analyst coverage is mixed (average rating: Hold, average target $112.20; 4 Buys, 2 Holds, 1 Sell).

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 13,356 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $1,139,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. PDS Planning Inc lifted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 4,246 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,572 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $305,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 0.5% in the third quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 31,919 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $2,245,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 33.4% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 599 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 4.8% in the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,528 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company's stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Down 1.2%

AU opened at $92.57 on Friday. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1-year low of $38.61 and a 1-year high of $129.14. The company has a current ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a market cap of $46.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.84 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $103.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $93.05.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The mining company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.90. The company had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 26.65% and a return on equity of 29.11%. Analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.173 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is presently 133.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AU has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $133.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $112.20.

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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