Ramirez Asset Management Inc. Invests $1.69 Million in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Ramirez Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 73,316 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,692,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AU. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 25,411,814 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $586,504,000 after purchasing an additional 2,491,130 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 22.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,857,324 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $467,795,000 after buying an additional 3,882,283 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 39.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,448,445 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $277,968,000 after acquiring an additional 2,957,304 shares during the period. Carrhae Capital LLP grew its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 170.0% during the 4th quarter. Carrhae Capital LLP now owns 3,459,193 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $79,838,000 after purchasing an additional 2,177,783 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TT International Asset Management LTD increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 51.3% in the 3rd quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD now owns 2,836,110 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $75,525,000 after buying an additional 962,141 shares in the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

AngloGold Ashanti stock opened at $36.16 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $31.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.10. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 1 year low of $21.65 and a 1 year high of $37.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.73. The company has a market cap of $15.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.30 and a beta of 0.92.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.75 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.69 per share. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AU has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

About AngloGold Ashanti

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.