AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,050,000 shares, a growth of 25.0% from the June 30th total of 4,040,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,780,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the third quarter worth $245,342,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 312.3% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 6,003,149 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $112,199,000 after acquiring an additional 4,547,011 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 27,747,289 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $615,990,000 after acquiring an additional 1,948,322 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 52.8% during the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,424,939 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $26,632,000 after purchasing an additional 492,358 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oaktree Capital Management LP increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Oaktree Capital Management LP now owns 5,874,951 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $109,803,000 after purchasing an additional 446,132 shares in the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. HSBC cut shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $24.50.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:AU traded up $0.08 on Tuesday, hitting $27.22. The stock had a trading volume of 385,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,940,521. AngloGold Ashanti has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $30.09. The business’s fifty day moving average is $25.53 and its 200 day moving average is $22.49.

About AngloGold Ashanti

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