Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Takes Position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 446,157 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,297,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.11% of AngloGold Ashanti at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AU. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 210.6% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 796 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth $69,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth $82,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in 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. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of NYSE AU opened at $35.43 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.07 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The business has a 50-day moving average of $30.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.90. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 1 year low of $21.23 and a 1 year high of $36.69.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate of $1.75 billion. On average, analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.69 dividend. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is presently 43.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AU has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.