AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.10 EPS

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The mining company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.10), Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.75 billion.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 3.1 %

AU stock opened at $32.02 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.62. AngloGold Ashanti has a fifty-two week low of $17.01 and a fifty-two week high of $33.77. 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 Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.69 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Scotiabank upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “sector underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $30.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.00.

AngloGold Ashanti Company 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.