AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.25 EPS

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) released its earnings results on Friday. The mining company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.25, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $3.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 29.11% and a net margin of 26.65%.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 6.9%

NYSE AU traded up $6.91 on Friday, reaching $107.14. The company had a trading volume of 2,749,655 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,277,882. AngloGold Ashanti has a 52 week low of $38.61 and a 52 week high of $129.14. 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 cap of $54.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.64 and a beta of 0.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $101.71 and its 200-day moving average is $93.62.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is currently 133.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AU. Citigroup boosted their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Zacks Research downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $122.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.20.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AU. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 454.1% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 471 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.