Van ECK Associates Corp Boosts Holdings in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,798,967 shares of the mining company's stock after purchasing an additional 898,196 shares during the period. AngloGold Ashanti makes up approximately 0.9% of Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 6.16% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $482,183,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Gradient Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 187.9% in the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 3,677 shares of the mining company's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 2,400 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 132.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,023 shares of the mining company's stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 2,289 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 75.0% during the 3rd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 6,342 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $100,000 after acquiring an additional 2,717 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 10,784 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $170,000 after acquiring an additional 643 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter valued at about $254,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 4.0 %

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti stock traded up $0.95 on Monday, hitting $24.80. 3,549,296 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,210,802. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 1 year low of $14.91 and a 1 year high of $30.26. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.24.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors 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 is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.03. This represents a yield of 1.1%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $23.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. HSBC cut AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised AngloGold Ashanti from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $24.25.

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.

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