U S Global Investors Inc. Lowers Stock Position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• U S Global Investors Inc. cut its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 45.1% in Q4, selling 73,864 shares and leaving it with 90,000 shares valued at $7.675 million.
• AngloGold Ashanti cut its dividend to $0.173 per quarter (annualized $0.69), a 0.7% yield and a payout ratio of 133.33%.
• Analysts are mixed but generally positive: the consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average price target of $112.20, while the stock trades around $96.72 (market cap ~$48.8B) and was down 2.2%.

U S Global Investors Inc. reduced its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 45.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 90,000 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 73,864 shares during the period. U S Global Investors Inc.'s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $7,675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 129.0% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 490 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 33.4% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 599 shares of the mining company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on AU. Weiss Ratings raised AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Citigroup boosted their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen cut AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Zacks Research cut AngloGold Ashanti from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $133.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $112.20.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of AU opened at $96.72 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.64 and a beta of 0.66. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1 year low of $38.61 and a 1 year high of $129.14. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $104.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.87 and a quick ratio of 2.20.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 20th. The mining company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.90. The business had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.99 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 29.11% and a net margin of 26.65%. As a group, equities analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.173 per share. 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 133.33%.

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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