Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Sells 80,859 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lessened its stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 23.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 265,805 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 80,859 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned approximately 0.05% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $25,814,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AU. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter valued at $321,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 30.3% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,023 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 106.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,367 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $153,000 after purchasing an additional 1,734 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 88.4% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 136,543 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $6,200,000 after purchasing an additional 64,066 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the second quarter valued at about $1,740,000. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

AU stock opened at $79.70 on Friday. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 52 week low of $45.36 and a 52 week high of $129.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.69 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $85.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $96.57. The company has a quick ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The mining company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $3.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 31.11% and a return on equity of 36.41%. Analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th were given a $1.16 dividend. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AU shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $155.00 to $134.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Freedom Capital upgraded AngloGold Ashanti to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Roth Capital cut their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $110.50.

AngloGold Ashanti Company Profile

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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