RFG Advisory LLC Sells 10,896 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• RFG Advisory LLC cut its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 42.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 10,896 shares and leaving it with 14,590 shares worth about $1.24 million.
• AngloGold Ashanti beat earnings expectations in its latest quarter, reporting EPS of $2.52 versus the $2.27 estimate, while revenue came in just below forecasts at $3.24 billion.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.16 per share, an annualized yield of 4.3%, even as analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold.

RFG Advisory LLC trimmed its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 42.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,590 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 10,896 shares during the quarter. RFG Advisory LLC's holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $1,244,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter valued at $321,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 1,734 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 88.4% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 136,543 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $6,200,000 after buying an additional 64,066 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,740,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 6.9%

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti stock opened at $107.14 on Friday. 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's fifty day simple moving average is $101.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $93.62. The company has a market cap of $54.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.64 and a beta of 0.60. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 12-month low of $38.61 and a 12-month high of $129.14.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The mining company reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.25. The business 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 26.65% and a return on equity of 29.11%. Research analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.79 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is presently 133.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $122.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered 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 report on Friday, March 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $112.20.

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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