Lingohr Asset Management GmbH Takes Position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Lingohr Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 18,570 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $425,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at about $10,297,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 66.7% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 6,159 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $142,000 after purchasing an additional 2,465 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at about $346,000. Swiss National Bank boosted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 1,143,283 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $25,516,000 after purchasing an additional 190,782 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 76,471.4% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 10,720 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 10,706 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 4.0 %

NYSE:AU opened at $35.54 on Thursday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $30.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.81. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 52 week low of $20.30 and a 52 week high of $36.58. The company has a market cap of $14.92 billion, a PE ratio of 11.11 and a beta of 0.92.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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. On average, analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business 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. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on AU shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 6th. Scotiabank increased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $34.00.

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.