73,965 Shares in AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU Acquired by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 73,965 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,202,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the third quarter worth $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 129.0% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 490 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the period. Optimum Investment Advisors acquired a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 3rd quarter valued at about $53,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:AU opened at $127.73 on Friday. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 52-week low of $28.44 and a 52-week high of $128.54. The company has a market capitalization of $64.49 billion, a PE ratio of 24.61 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.58. The company has a fifty day moving average of $101.77 and a 200-day moving average of $81.71.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 20th. The mining company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 29.70% and a net margin of 26.65%.The business had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.173 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AU shares. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Wednesday. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $122.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 13th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti currently has an average 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.