Strs Ohio Trims Stock Position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• Strs Ohio trimmed its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 5.0% in Q4, selling 24,503 shares and finishing the quarter with 465,241 shares valued at about $39.68 million, while several other institutions materially adjusted positions (e.g., Mitsubishi UFJ Trust +4,292.8%, M&T Bank +101.5%).
• AngloGold reported $1.90 EPS (in line) and $3.07 billion in revenue (beat) for the quarter, with a net margin of 26.65% and ROE of 29.11%; analysts’ consensus rating is a Hold with an average price target of $112.20.
• The company cut its dividend to an annualized $0.69 (0.7% yield) with a payout ratio of 133.33%, and the stock trades at a market cap of $46.74 billion, P/E of 17.84 and a 52‑week range of $38.61–$129.14.

Strs Ohio lessened its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 465,241 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 24,503 shares during the period. Strs Ohio's holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $39,676,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 20,355 shares of the mining company's stock worth $1,736,000 after purchasing an additional 2,390 shares during the period. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 10,176 shares of the mining company's stock worth $868,000 after buying an additional 1,495 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 4,292.8% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 34,220 shares of the mining company's stock worth $2,987,000 after buying an additional 33,441 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 101.5% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 9,120 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $778,000 after buying an additional 4,595 shares during the period. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at about $611,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

Shares of AU stock opened at $92.57 on Friday. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a fifty-two week low of $38.61 and a fifty-two week high of $129.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.84 and a beta of 0.60. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $103.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.05.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 20th. The mining company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.90. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 26.65% and a return on equity of 29.11%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were given a $0.173 dividend. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is presently 133.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AU shares. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and set a $122.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $133.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.20.

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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