Quantbot Technologies LP Buys New Shares in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 269,323 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,216,000. Quantbot Technologies LP owned approximately 0.06% of AngloGold Ashanti at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AU. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 25,411,814 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $586,504,000 after purchasing an additional 2,491,130 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 39.5% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,448,445 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $277,968,000 after buying an additional 2,957,304 shares during the period. TT International Asset Management LTD lifted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 51.3% in the third quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD now owns 2,836,110 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $75,525,000 after buying an additional 962,141 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,043,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 39.0% during the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,934,603 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $44,651,000 after acquiring an additional 542,463 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

NYSE AU opened at $35.43 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $30.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.91. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 12-month low of $20.46 and a 12-month high of $36.69. The company has a market capitalization of $14.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.07 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last issued 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 company had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.75 billion. Analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on AU. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus 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.