AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation, five have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $110.50.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $155.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Freedom Capital raised AngloGold Ashanti to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Roth Capital lowered their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. Finally, Zacks Research cut AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 8.7%

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti stock opened at $88.60 on Thursday. AngloGold Ashanti has a 1 year low of $52.05 and a 1 year high of $129.14. The firm has a market cap of $44.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.88 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a 50-day moving average of $83.69 and a 200 day moving average of $95.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 2.11.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The mining company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.03 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 39.54% and a net margin of 32.19%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti will post 8.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st will be paid a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 21st. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is presently 6.70%.

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AU. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About AngloGold Ashanti

AngloGold Ashanti is a global gold mining company engaged in the exploration, development, production, processing and sale of gold. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, the company’s core activities span the full mining value chain from greenfield exploration and mine development through to ore processing and rehabilitation. Gold is the primary commodity produced, with individual operations sometimes yielding other by‑products depending on local geology and processing methods.

The company was formed in 2004 through the merger of AngloGold and Ashanti Goldfields, creating a diversified international gold producer.