Ruffer LLP Sells 269,966 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Ruffer LLP decreased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) by 45.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 320,997 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 269,966 shares during the quarter. AngloGold Ashanti comprises approximately 1.2% of Ruffer LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Ruffer LLP’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $27,417,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AU. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the first quarter worth $321,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 30.3% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,023 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 106.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,367 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $153,000 after purchasing an additional 1,734 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 88.4% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 136,543 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $6,200,000 after purchasing an additional 64,066 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the second quarter worth $1,740,000. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 5.6%

AU opened at $100.57 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $50.78 billion, a PE ratio of 19.38 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 2.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 52 week low of $38.61 and a 52 week high of $129.14. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $104.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.11.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The mining company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90. The business had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.99 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 29.11% and a net margin of 26.65%. As a group, research analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.173 dividend. This represents a $0.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is currently 133.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AU. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $122.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $112.20.

AngloGold Ashanti Profile

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.