AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) Short Interest Down 18.4% in December

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,794,675 shares, a decline of 18.4% from the December 15th total of 4,651,135 shares. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,006,657 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,006,657 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on AU shares. HSBC restated a “reduce” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Roth Capital upped their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.00.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE AU traded up $0.60 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $99.15. The stock had a trading volume of 2,517,564 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,905,065. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $86.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.58. AngloGold Ashanti has a 52 week low of $26.78 and a 52 week high of $100.31. The company has a current ratio of 2.58, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The mining company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $2.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 26.25% and a return on equity of 24.01%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were issued a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.18%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 129.0% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 490 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 33.4% during the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 599 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About AngloGold Ashanti

AngloGold Ashanti is a global gold mining company engaged in the exploration, development, production, processing and sale of gold. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, the company’s core activities span the full mining value chain from greenfield exploration and mine development through to ore processing and rehabilitation. Gold is the primary commodity produced, with individual operations sometimes yielding other by‑products depending on local geology and processing methods.

The company was formed in 2004 through the merger of AngloGold and Ashanti Goldfields, creating a diversified international gold producer.