Lesa Sroufe & Co Acquires 29,557 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Lesa Sroufe & Co raised its stake in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) by 27.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 136,103 shares of the mining company’s stock after buying an additional 29,557 shares during the quarter. AngloGold Ashanti comprises approximately 2.6% of Lesa Sroufe & Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Lesa Sroufe & Co’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $2,544,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AU. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. now owns 178,500 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $3,336,000 after purchasing an additional 25,500 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth about $1,443,000. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 29.6% during the 4th quarter. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC now owns 74,974 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $1,402,000 after buying an additional 17,127 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 201,558 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $3,767,000 after acquiring an additional 1,644 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at about $16,260,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $23.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, HSBC cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $24.25.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

Shares of AU opened at $22.11 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $21.27 and its 200-day moving average is $19.13. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a fifty-two week low of $14.91 and a fifty-two week high of $30.26.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.19 dividend. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.03. This represents a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th.

AngloGold Ashanti Company Profile

AngloGold Ashanti plc operates as a gold mining company in Africa, the Americas, and Australia. 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 project located in the Lake Victoria goldfields of the Mwanza region in north-western Tanzania.