AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU Shares Bought by MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.

Key Points

• MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC by 7.9%, owning a total of 662,163 shares valued at approximately $24.58 million after purchasing 48,274 shares in the 1st quarter.
• AngloGold Ashanti disclosed a new semi-annual dividend of $0.80, raising it from the previous $0.69, resulting in a significant dividend yield of 610.0%.
• Several analysts have mixed ratings on AngloGold Ashanti, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $49.60, despite some firms issuing "buy" ratings.

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 7.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 662,163 shares of the mining company's stock after purchasing an additional 48,274 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. owned 0.16% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $24,579,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 20.9% during the first quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 122,331 shares of the mining company's stock worth $4,571,000 after acquiring an additional 21,180 shares during the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 27.0% during the first quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 185,793 shares of the mining company's stock worth $6,964,000 after purchasing an additional 39,485 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter worth $279,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 32.7% during the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 396,602 shares of the mining company's stock worth $14,722,000 after purchasing an additional 97,724 shares during the period. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 51.4% in the first quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 23,632 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $877,000 after acquiring an additional 8,019 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

AU stock traded up $0.75 during trading on Friday, hitting $66.30. The stock had a trading volume of 2,507,074 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,013,587. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a current ratio of 2.99. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1-year low of $22.45 and a 1-year high of $66.45. The company's 50 day moving average price is $53.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.21. The stock has a market cap of $27.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.63 and a beta of 0.54.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The mining company reported $1.25 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 analysts' expectations of $2.29 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 23.60% and a return on equity of 22.54%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 610.0%. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Scotiabank reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Monday, August 11th. Zacks Research lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Roth Capital reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $49.60.

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.