Wellington Management Group LLP Acquires Shares of 17,395 AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 17,395 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $392,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Allianz Polska S.A. purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter worth about $562,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,692,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 495,000 shares of the mining company's stock worth $11,052,000 after purchasing an additional 67,036 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $112,000. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company's stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

Shares of AU traded down $2.43 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $43.19. 5,482,179 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,453,578. The company has a market cap of $18.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.50 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company's 50-day moving average price is $34.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.42. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 52-week low of $21.65 and a 52-week high of $46.90.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.75 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.69 dividend. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a yield of 2.8%. AngloGold Ashanti's payout ratio is presently 43.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AU has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised AngloGold Ashanti from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, HSBC restated a "reduce" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $36.80.

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.