Vident Advisory LLC Has $877,000 Stock Holdings in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Key Points

• Vident Advisory LLC increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC by 51.4%, owning 23,632 shares valued at $877,000 at the end of the last quarter.
• AngloGold Ashanti reported earnings per share of $1.25, missing estimates, but achieved revenue of $2.45 billion, exceeding analysts' expectations.
• The company raised its semi-annual dividend to $0.80 per share, reflecting a yield of 610.0%, up from the previous dividend of $0.69.

Vident Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 51.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,632 shares of the mining company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,019 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $877,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AU. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth $406,000. Northern Trust Corp acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth $7,262,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth $418,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,135 shares of the mining company's stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 1,402 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth $7,116,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AU opened at $58.00 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1 year low of $22.45 and a 1 year high of $60.36. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.79. The firm has a market cap of $24.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.43 and a beta of 0.54.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The mining company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.31 by ($0.06). AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 22.54% and a net margin of 23.60%.The firm had revenue of $2.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.29 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, August 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.69. This represents a dividend yield of 610.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 22nd. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is 85.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AU has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen cut AngloGold Ashanti from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Zacks Research cut AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus 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.

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