AngloGold Ashanti PLC $AU is Oaktree Capital Management LP’s 3rd Largest Position

Oaktree Capital Management LP reduced its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) by 16.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,223,092 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 624,899 shares during the period. AngloGold Ashanti comprises approximately 3.9% of Oaktree Capital Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Oaktree Capital Management LP’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $313,800,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AU. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AU has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen cut AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $155.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Roth Capital reduced their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $128.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $110.50.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AU opened at $77.80 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $39.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $84.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.34. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. AngloGold Ashanti PLC has a 12 month low of $45.36 and a 12 month high of $129.14.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The mining company reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.25. AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 36.41% and a net margin of 31.11%.The company had revenue of $3.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 8.23 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th were given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.0%. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is 68.04%.

AngloGold Ashanti Profile

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.