Swiss National Bank Has $94.11 Million Stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• Swiss National Bank trimmed its AngloGold Ashanti stake by 11.6% in Q1, but still held 973,803 shares valued at about $94.1 million at the end of the period.
• AngloGold Ashanti reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.52 beating estimates, while revenue of $3.24 billion came in slightly below expectations.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend sharply to $1.16 per share from $0.17, implying an annualized yield of about 6.2%.

Swiss National Bank lowered its position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 11.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 973,803 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 127,541 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.19% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $94,106,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AU. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 454.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 471 shares of the mining company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AU opened at $74.89 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $37.81 billion, a PE ratio of 10.98 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 twelve month low of $45.36 and a twelve month high of $129.14. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $87.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $96.82.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The mining company reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $3.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.26 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 36.41% and a net margin of 31.11%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.79 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Roth Capital cut their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Zacks Research downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $114.00 to $111.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $155.00 to $134.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $110.50.

AngloGold Ashanti 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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