AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Now Covered by Roth Capital

Roth Capital began coverage on shares of AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $52.00 price target on the mining company's stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. HSBC reiterated a "reduce" rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $42.00 to $43.50 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $43.08.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 4.4%

Shares of AU stock traded up $2.17 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $50.99. 3,822,798 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,655,049. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $42.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $33.74. The stock has a market cap of $21.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.75 and a beta of 0.49. AngloGold Ashanti has a 12-month low of $22.34 and a 12-month high of $50.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The mining company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. On average, analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.125 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. AngloGold Ashanti's dividend payout ratio is 16.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AU. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 194.3% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 31,619 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $1,174,000 after buying an additional 20,874 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter valued at $5,538,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 25.5% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,963,318 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $72,878,000 after acquiring an additional 398,684 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter valued at $321,000. Finally, Ascent Group LLC purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter valued at $231,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

About AngloGold Ashanti

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.