Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Sells 10,520 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lessened its stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 99,430 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 10,520 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $8,479,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter worth $321,000. Prudential Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the second quarter valued at about $1,036,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the second quarter worth about $69,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 30.3% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,023 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 40.9% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 74,815 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $3,388,000 after buying an additional 21,717 shares in the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 7.4%

AU stock opened at $97.27 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $49.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.74 and a beta of 0.55. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a twelve month low of $31.91 and a twelve month high of $129.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $104.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $88.24. The company has a quick ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 2.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 20th. The mining company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.90. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 29.11% and a net margin of 26.65%.The company had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. Analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.173 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 133.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $122.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $100.33.

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.