EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) by 210.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,174 shares of the mining company’s stock after buying an additional 796 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $27,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AU. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 232,629 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $5,369,000 after acquiring an additional 22,654 shares during the last quarter. Ruffer LLP increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 56.8% during the 4th quarter. Ruffer LLP now owns 1,653,726 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $38,168,000 after purchasing an additional 599,266 shares during the last quarter. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter valued at about $439,000. Andra AP fonden bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,912,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,778,000. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

AU stock opened at $36.52 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $30.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 0.92. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 12-month low of $20.46 and a 12-month high of $36.69.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.75 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm 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 is a positive change from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a yield of 2.8%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, 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. 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, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $34.00.

AngloGold Ashanti 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.