Carrhae Capital LLP Raises Stake in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Carrhae Capital LLP increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) by 170.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,459,193 shares of the mining company’s stock after buying an additional 2,177,783 shares during the quarter. AngloGold Ashanti accounts for about 6.7% of Carrhae Capital LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Carrhae Capital LLP owned approximately 0.82% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $79,838,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AU. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 297.9% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 259,120 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $6,900,000 after purchasing an additional 193,992 shares during the period. Qsemble Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 3rd quarter valued at about $368,000. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 39.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,448,445 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $277,968,000 after acquiring an additional 2,957,304 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 80.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 185,968 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $4,952,000 after acquiring an additional 82,788 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 209,975 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $5,592,000 after acquiring an additional 9,706 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AU opened at $34.84 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $14.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.89 and a beta of 0.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $30.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.94. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a fifty-two week low of $21.23 and a fifty-two week high of $36.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.73.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.75 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a $0.69 dividend. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a yield of 2.8%. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is presently 43.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on AU. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $36.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus 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.