SEB Asset Management AB Takes $26.19 Million Position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• SEB Asset Management AB opened a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter, buying 272,743 shares worth about $26.19 million. The stake represented roughly 0.05% of the company.
• Institutional ownership in AngloGold Ashanti remains significant, with several large investors recently boosting holdings; the article says 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutions and hedge funds.
• The company has seen mixed but generally favorable analyst sentiment, with a Moderate Buy consensus and a target price of $110.50. AngloGold Ashanti also recently beat quarterly EPS estimates and raised its dividend to $1.16 per share, implying a 6.0% yield.

SEB Asset Management AB purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 272,743 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $26,190,000. SEB Asset Management AB owned about 0.05% of AngloGold Ashanti as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AU. Ninety One SA Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,380,472,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 406.9% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 6,288,253 shares of the mining company's stock worth $539,119,000 after purchasing an additional 5,047,686 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth approximately $426,477,000. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 1,175.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,967,173 shares of the mining company's stock worth $226,354,000 after purchasing an additional 4,577,807 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 5,109.9% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,082,326 shares of the mining company's stock worth $179,286,000 after purchasing an additional 2,042,357 shares during the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $114.00 to $111.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Freedom Capital upgraded AngloGold Ashanti to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $128.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings cut AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $110.50.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AU opened at $76.75 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $38.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.25 and a beta of 0.65. 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 PLC has a 52 week low of $45.36 and a 52 week high of $129.14. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $87.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $96.90.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The mining company reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.25. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 36.41% and a net margin of 31.11%.The firm had revenue of $3.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. Equities research analysts forecast 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 was paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is currently 68.04%.

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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