Rhumbline Advisers Purchases 424,259 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU

Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) by 1,341.8% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 455,878 shares of the mining company’s stock after purchasing an additional 424,259 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $20,774,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Amalgamated Bank acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,270,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 14.2% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,675,740 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $76,376,000 after buying an additional 207,923 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 102.6% during the 2nd quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 13,101 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $597,000 after acquiring an additional 6,636 shares during the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 46.8% in the 2nd quarter. Forefront Wealth Management Inc. now owns 56,545 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $2,577,000 after acquiring an additional 18,016 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter valued at $5,538,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

AngloGold Ashanti stock opened at $88.86 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $73.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.63 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 52-week low of $22.45 and a 52-week high of $89.19.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 11th. The mining company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 23.60% and a return on equity of 22.54%. On average, equities analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 28th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AU has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Citigroup initiated coverage on AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $90.00 price target for the company. Finally, HSBC restated a “reduce” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. One investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.50.

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.