Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Sells 16,198 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC decreased its position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) by 16.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 82,949 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 16,198 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $5,834,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AU. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 1,175.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,967,173 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $226,354,000 after buying an additional 4,577,807 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 1,767.5% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,788,123 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $127,027,000 after acquiring an additional 2,638,823 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 274.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,137,721 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $142,986,000 after acquiring an additional 2,300,204 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the second quarter valued at about $74,039,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 6.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,284,407 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $1,017,746,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281,958 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of AU stock opened at $100.95 on Thursday. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 52-week low of $28.44 and a 52-week high of $115.81. The business’s fifty day moving average is $92.02 and its 200 day moving average is $74.56. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The mining company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.02). AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 24.01% and a net margin of 26.25%.The business had revenue of $2.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AU has been the topic of several research reports. HSBC reissued a “reduce” rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Zacks Research raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $92.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.00.

AngloGold Ashanti Company 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.