Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Boosts Stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 107,548 shares of the mining company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,755 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $7,564,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AU. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 129.0% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 490 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 30.3% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,023 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the third quarter worth approximately $53,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 1.2%

AU stock opened at $106.58 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $53.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.54 and a beta of 0.55. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 1-year low of $30.19 and a 1-year high of $129.14. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $104.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $84.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.58 and a quick ratio of 1.98.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The mining company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.90. The company had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 29.70% and a net margin of 26.65%. Research analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.173 per share. This represents a $0.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is presently 133.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 13th. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $122.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $100.50.

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.