Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Has $5.37 Million Stock Position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) by 10.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 232,629 shares of the mining company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,654 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned 0.06% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $5,369,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL now owns 16,770 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $464,000 after acquiring an additional 2,670 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 95.6% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 247,292 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $6,585,000 after purchasing an additional 120,844 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 297.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 259,120 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $6,900,000 after purchasing an additional 193,992 shares during the period. Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the third quarter worth $368,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 39.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,448,445 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $277,968,000 after buying an additional 2,957,304 shares in the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of AU stock opened at $32.27 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.08 and a beta of 0.92. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 12-month low of $20.05 and a 12-month 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $29.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.74.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.75 billion. Research analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.69 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on AU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective 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. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

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.