AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Shares Sold by Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc.

Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. trimmed its stake in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) by 13.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,537 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 4,090 shares during the quarter. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc.’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $589,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 378.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,782 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 3,782 shares during the last quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 51.3% in the 3rd quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD now owns 2,836,110 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $75,525,000 after acquiring an additional 962,141 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 193,992 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 25,411,814 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $586,504,000 after purchasing an additional 2,491,130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 1,504.8% in the third quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 391,715 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $10,419,000 after purchasing an additional 367,306 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 2.3 %

AU opened at $32.96 on Tuesday. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 1 year low of $20.05 and a 1 year high of $34.33. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $29.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.73. The company has a market cap of $13.83 billion, a PE ratio of 10.30 and a beta of 0.92.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last issued its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.75 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.69 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is currently 43.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

About AngloGold Ashanti

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.