AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $41.30.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 1st. Scotiabank lifted their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $42.00 to $43.50 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, HSBC restated a “reduce” rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday, April 17th.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of AU stock opened at $45.85 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. AngloGold Ashanti has a twelve month low of $22.34 and a twelve month high of $48.10. The company has a market capitalization of $19.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.08 and a beta of 0.49. The business’s 50 day moving average is $42.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.58.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The mining company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. Equities analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.14%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.45%.

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AU. Whittier Trust Co. bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 210.6% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 796 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

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.