Allianz Asset Management GmbH Buys 542,463 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) by 39.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,934,603 shares of the mining company’s stock after purchasing an additional 542,463 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $44,651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 378.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,782 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 3,782 shares in the last quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 51.3% during the 3rd quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD now owns 2,836,110 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $75,525,000 after acquiring an additional 962,141 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 297.9% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 259,120 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $6,900,000 after acquiring an additional 193,992 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 25,411,814 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $586,504,000 after acquiring an additional 2,491,130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 1,504.8% during the 3rd quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 391,715 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $10,419,000 after acquiring an additional 367,306 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AU shares. Scotiabank raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “sector underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $30.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.00.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE AU opened at $31.63 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $27.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.69. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a one year low of $17.01 and a one year high of $33.77.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.75 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.69 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.8%. This is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th.

AngloGold Ashanti Company Profile

AngloGold Ashanti plc operates as a gold mining company in Africa, Australia, and the Americas. The company primarily explores for gold, as well as produces silver and sulphuric acid as by-products. Its flagship property is a 100% owned Geita mine located in the Lake Victoria goldfields of the Mwanza region in north-western Tanzania.