AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) Short Interest Update

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 7,591,606 shares, a growth of 41.6% from the February 26th total of 5,360,034 shares. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 3,098,320 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti stock traded up $1.37 on Monday, reaching $90.54. The stock had a trading volume of 3,499,908 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,200,999. The company has a quick ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 2.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.44 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $104.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $87.85. AngloGold Ashanti has a 1 year low of $31.91 and a 1 year high of $129.14.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last posted 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 company had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.99 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 26.65% and a return on equity of 29.11%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.173 per share. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is currently 133.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AU has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $122.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup lifted their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $100.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AU. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 129.0% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 490 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Optimum Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.