Mackenzie Financial Corp Cuts Stock Holdings in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Mackenzie Financial Corp trimmed its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 23.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,371,827 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 708,539 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp owned approximately 0.57% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $44,329,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 1.6% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 24,900,771 shares of the mining company's stock worth $393,432,000 after purchasing an additional 383,360 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the third quarter worth approximately $245,342,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 5.7% in the second quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 11,002,317 shares of the mining company's stock worth $162,724,000 after purchasing an additional 594,702 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 2.3% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 10,174,686 shares of the mining company's stock worth $214,584,000 after purchasing an additional 226,080 shares during the period. Finally, Oaktree Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 14.8% in the third quarter. Oaktree Capital Management LP now owns 5,428,819 shares of the mining company's stock worth $85,775,000 after purchasing an additional 700,197 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

AU stock traded up $0.56 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $23.85. 2,981,717 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,158,606. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $30.26. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $18.86.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a yield of 1.1%. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.03.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $22.50.

AngloGold Ashanti Company Profile

AngloGold Ashanti plc operates as a gold mining company in Africa, the Americas, and Australia. 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 project located in the Lake Victoria goldfields of the Mwanza region in north-western Tanzania.