LPL Financial LLC Purchases 58,169 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU)

Key Points

• LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti PLC by 84.2%, acquiring an additional 58,169 shares to own a total of 127,220 shares valued at approximately $4.72 million.
• AngloGold Ashanti announced a dividend of $0.80 per share, representing a 610.0% yield, which is an increase from its previous dividend of $0.69.
• The stock has seen price targets and ratings varying from "buy" to "reduce", with a current consensus rating of "Hold" and a price target of $49.60.

LPL Financial LLC raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 84.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 127,220 shares of the mining company's stock after buying an additional 58,169 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC's holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $4,722,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 274.8% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,133,744 shares of the mining company's stock worth $118,448,000 after buying an additional 3,764,165 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 3,767.1% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,751,410 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $63,503,000 after acquiring an additional 2,680,261 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at about $24,741,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,569,868 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $59,313,000 after purchasing an additional 1,045,335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 7,804.7% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 930,781 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $21,482,000 after purchasing an additional 919,006 shares during the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AU has been the subject of several research reports. Scotiabank restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Roth Capital reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Friday, August 1st. HSBC reiterated a "reduce" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $49.60.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 2.4%

NYSE AU opened at $55.89 on Thursday. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1-year low of $22.45 and a 1-year high of $59.19. The company has a market cap of $23.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.86 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a 50 day moving average of $49.10 and a 200-day moving average of $41.11.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The mining company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.31 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $2.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 23.60% and a return on equity of 24.25%. On average, equities research analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 610.0%. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.69. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.30%.

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.

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