Oaktree Capital Management LP Reduces Stock Holdings in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Oaktree Capital Management LP cut its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) by 9.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,947,737 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 517,114 shares during the quarter. AngloGold Ashanti makes up about 3.9% of Oaktree Capital Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Oaktree Capital Management LP owned approximately 1.18% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $225,468,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,197,861 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $149,212,000 after buying an additional 140,410 shares during the last quarter. Great Diamond Partners LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the second quarter valued at about $791,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 88.4% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 136,543 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $6,200,000 after buying an additional 64,066 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 106.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,367 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $153,000 after acquiring an additional 1,734 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 52.7% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,063,783 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $139,617,000 after acquiring an additional 1,057,372 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of AU opened at $83.37 on Friday. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a twelve month low of $22.45 and a twelve month high of $89.19. The company has a quick ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market cap of $34.99 billion, a PE ratio of 18.36 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $75.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.09.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 11th. The mining company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.02). AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 26.25% and a return on equity of 24.50%. The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Announces Dividend

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 of this dividend is Friday, November 28th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Roth Capital set a $76.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Citigroup began coverage on AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. HSBC reaffirmed a “reduce” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.83.

AngloGold Ashanti Company 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.