Jump Financial LLC Invests $3.73 Million in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 161,493 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $3,727,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sprott Inc. raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 91,168 shares of the mining company's stock worth $2,104,000 after purchasing an additional 662 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 210.6% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the mining company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 796 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 8,860 shares of the mining company's stock worth $204,000 after acquiring an additional 844 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 10,745 shares of the mining company's stock worth $248,000 after acquiring an additional 910 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 7,043 shares of the mining company's stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 1,052 shares during the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AU shares. StockNews.com upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Scotiabank boosted their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, HSBC reiterated a "reduce" rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $36.80.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

AngloGold Ashanti stock traded down $3.11 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $40.03. The company had a trading volume of 3,642,599 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,904,245. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 12-month low of $21.66 and a 12-month high of $46.90. The company's fifty day moving average is $35.07 and its 200-day moving average is $29.66. The company has a market capitalization of $16.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 0.81.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.75 billion. Equities research analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.69 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is presently 43.13%.

AngloGold Ashanti 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.