AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) Short Interest Update

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 7,591,606 shares, a growth of 41.6% from the February 26th total of 5,360,034 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,098,320 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 1.5%

AU stock traded up $1.37 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $90.54. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,500,826 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,201,198. AngloGold Ashanti has a 12 month low of $31.91 and a 12 month high of $129.14. The company has a current ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $104.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $88.02. The company has a market cap of $45.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.44 and a beta of 0.55.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 20th. The mining company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.90. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. AngloGold Ashanti had a net margin of 26.65% and a return on equity of 29.11%. On average, equities research analysts predict that AngloGold Ashanti will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.173 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is currently 133.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on AU shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $128.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday. Scotiabank decreased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $133.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $122.00 price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AU. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 129.0% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 490 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Optimum Investment Advisors bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the third quarter worth about $35,000. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Company 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.