Korea Investment CORP Increases Position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Korea Investment CORP increased its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) by 0.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 196,368 shares of the mining company’s stock after buying an additional 1,018 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $8,850,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 1,767.5% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,788,123 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $127,027,000 after acquiring an additional 2,638,823 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 274.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,137,721 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $142,986,000 after purchasing an additional 2,300,204 shares in the last quarter. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter worth $63,186,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 6.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,284,407 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $1,017,746,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281,958 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ruffer LLP purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the second quarter worth $52,267,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 4.0%

Shares of NYSE AU opened at $85.33 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $35.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.69 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a current ratio of 2.99. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1 year low of $22.45 and a 1 year high of $89.19. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $73.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.14.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 11th. The mining company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.02). AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 23.60% and a return on equity of 22.54%. The business had revenue of $2.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 28th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is 80.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AU has been the subject of several research reports. Roth Capital set a $76.00 price target on AngloGold Ashanti and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Monday, October 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.50.

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.