AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU Shares Sold by Lesa Sroufe & Co

Lesa Sroufe & Co lessened its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) by 32.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 85,898 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 41,917 shares during the quarter. AngloGold Ashanti comprises approximately 4.9% of Lesa Sroufe & Co’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. Lesa Sroufe & Co’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $6,041,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AU. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Optimum Investment Advisors bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in 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 during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 2nd quarter valued at $69,000. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 27.3% in the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,006 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on AU shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Zacks Research cut AngloGold Ashanti from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 13th. Weiss Ratings raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Roth Capital lifted their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.00.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of AU opened at $92.73 on Thursday. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 12-month low of $24.61 and a 12-month high of $93.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 2.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.42 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $82.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.96.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last announced 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). The firm had revenue of $2.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 24.01% and a net margin of 26.25%. As a group, research analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th were given a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is 80.18%.

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.