AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,794,675 shares, a decline of 18.4% from the December 15th total of 4,651,135 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,006,657 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days. Currently, 0.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Currently, 0.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,006,657 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AU has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Scotiabank increased their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.00.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AU traded up $0.60 on Monday, hitting $99.15. 2,517,564 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,905,065. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $86.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.58. AngloGold Ashanti has a one year low of $26.78 and a one year high of $100.31.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The mining company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.02). AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 24.01% and a net margin of 26.25%.The firm had revenue of $2.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th were given a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is currently 80.18%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,572 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $305,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 31,919 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $2,245,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 33.4% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 599 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 4.8% in the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,528 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 27.3% in the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,006 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is owned by 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.