Sprott Inc. Boosts Holdings in 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. raised its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 232.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 303,509 shares of the mining company's stock after acquiring an additional 212,341 shares during the quarter. Sprott Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $11,266,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter valued at about $30,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter valued at about $77,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 769.5% during the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,939 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $109,000 after acquiring an additional 2,601 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE AU traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $55.17. The stock had a trading volume of 1,279,671 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,096,631. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market cap of $23.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.66 and a beta of 0.46. The business's fifty day moving average price is $50.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.69. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 52-week low of $22.45 and a 52-week high of $59.19.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The mining company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.31 by ($0.06). The firm 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%. Analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 22nd. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.69. This represents a dividend yield of 610.0%. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is currently 85.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AU has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Roth Capital reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Scotiabank restated 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.