AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $42.79, but opened at $41.65. AngloGold Ashanti shares last traded at $42.37, with a volume of 1,379,271 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on AU shares. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. One research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $37.25.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 1.0 %

The business’s 50 day moving average is $33.51 and its 200 day moving average is $28.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.73. The stock has a market cap of $17.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.23 and a beta of 0.81.

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

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.69 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.13%.

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Whittier Trust Co. acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 210.6% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 796 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.