AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Shares Down 9.7% – What’s Next?

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU)’s stock price fell 9.7% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $104.58 and last traded at $104.4390. 3,147,757 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 13% from the average session volume of 2,786,994 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on AU. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $92.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. HSBC reiterated a “reduce” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.00.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Down 8.4%

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $90.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.75. The company has a market cap of $45.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.24 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.58 and a quick ratio of 1.98.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The mining company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $2.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 26.25% and a return on equity of 24.01%. On average, equities analysts expect that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th were paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.18%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the first quarter worth approximately $321,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 579.2% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,664 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 1,419 shares during the period. Vigilare Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 2nd quarter worth $283,000. Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 38.8% in the second quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 8,623 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $393,000 after buying an additional 2,409 shares during the period. Finally, 111 Capital bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the second quarter valued at about $293,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently 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.