AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU Shares Acquired by UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC

Key Points

• UBS Asset Management increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 25.5% in the first quarter, now owning approximately $72.88 million worth of shares.
• AngloGold Ashanti announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.80 per share, up from $0.69, representing a substantial yield of 610.0%.
• The company reported earnings of $1.25 per share for the latest quarter, missing estimates, while revenues exceeded projections at $2.45 billion.

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 25.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,963,318 shares of the mining company's stock after acquiring an additional 398,684 shares during the quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned about 0.47% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $72,878,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northern Trust Corp acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at $7,262,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,135 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $280,000 after buying an additional 1,402 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 1,095,964 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $24,452,000 after buying an additional 80,675 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 28,598 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $660,000 after buying an additional 2,518 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at $120,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company's stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

NYSE:AU traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $64.69. 2,074,578 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,237,452. The firm's 50-day moving average is $55.28 and its 200-day moving average is $46.09. The stock has a market cap of $27.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.20 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.99 and a quick ratio of 2.22. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1-year low of $22.45 and a 1-year high of $67.67.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last issued 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 net margin of 23.60% and a return on equity of 22.54%. The firm had revenue of $2.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. Equities research analysts expect 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 was paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, August 22nd were paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a yield of 610.0%. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 22nd. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is 85.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Scotiabank reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen cut AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Zacks Research cut AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Friday, August 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $49.60.

AngloGold Ashanti Company Profile

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.