USS Investment Management Ltd Sells 291,284 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

USS Investment Management Ltd trimmed its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) by 30.5% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 663,007 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 291,284 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $64,620,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AU. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 454.1% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 471 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:AU opened at $80.57 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $92.29 and its 200 day moving average is $97.43. The company has a market cap of $40.68 billion, a PE ratio of 11.81 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 2.11. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1 year low of $44.67 and a 1 year high of $129.14.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The mining company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.25. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 36.41% and a net margin of 31.11%.The firm had revenue of $3.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.91 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 29th. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is presently 68.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AU has been the subject of several recent research reports. Roth Mkm lowered their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $133.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.80.

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.