Allianz Asset Management GmbH Sells 102,969 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Allianz Asset Management GmbH trimmed its stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,134,167 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 102,969 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned about 0.27% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $79,766,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AU. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 27.3% in the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,006 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,893 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $133,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 30.3% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,023 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 27.2% during the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,257 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 129.0% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 490 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

AngloGold Ashanti stock opened at $100.65 on Wednesday. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1 year low of $28.44 and a 1 year high of $115.81. The company’s 50-day moving average is $91.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.58.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The mining company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.02). AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 26.25% and a return on equity of 24.01%. The company had revenue of $2.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th were issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is 80.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on AU shares. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $92.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Roth Mkm raised their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Citigroup boosted their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Zacks Research raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.00.

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.