Sprott Inc. Purchases 212,341 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• Sprott Inc. significantly increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC by 232.9%, acquiring an additional 212,341 shares to bring its total holdings to approximately $11.3 million.
• AngloGold Ashanti announced a semi-annual dividend increase to $0.80 per share, up from $0.69, reflecting a yield of 610.0% and a payout ratio of 13.30%.
• The stock price of AngloGold Ashanti rose by 2.1%, with a current market cap of $23.03 billion and earnings per share forecasted at 3.83 for the fiscal year.

Sprott Inc. boosted its position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 232.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 303,509 shares of the mining company's stock after purchasing an additional 212,341 shares during the period. Sprott Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $11,266,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 0.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,002,449 shares of the mining company's stock worth $787,791,000 after acquiring an additional 145,125 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 274.8% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,133,744 shares of the mining company's stock worth $118,448,000 after acquiring an additional 3,764,165 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 2.4% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,041,932 shares of the mining company's stock worth $150,054,000 after acquiring an additional 95,668 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,569,868 shares of the mining company's stock worth $59,313,000 after acquiring an additional 1,045,335 shares during the period. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 19.8% during the first quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,337,673 shares of the mining company's stock worth $86,774,000 after acquiring an additional 386,078 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 2.1%

AngloGold Ashanti stock opened at $54.8710 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $49.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market cap of $23.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.59 and a beta of 0.46. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a twelve month low of $22.45 and a twelve month high of $59.19.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last posted 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). AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 22.54% and a net margin of 23.60%.The company had revenue of $2.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.29 billion. On average, analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.69. This represents a yield of 610.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 22nd. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AU has been the topic of a number of research reports. 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. raised their target price 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. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Roth Capital reissued a "buy" rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $49.60.

About AngloGold Ashanti

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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