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

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 11,930,000 shares, a growth of 43.2% from the October 15th total of 8,330,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,210,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.4 days.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of AU stock traded down $0.18 during trading on Friday, reaching $23.83. 1,484,997 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,474,569. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. AngloGold Ashanti has a twelve month low of $15.80 and a twelve month high of $32.57. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $27.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Investec upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated a “sector underperform” rating and set a $30.00 price objective (up previously from $27.00) on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Monday, August 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AngloGold Ashanti has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AU. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 26.1% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,383 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 17.3% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,938 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 338.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,471 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $87,000 after buying an additional 2,679 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 1st quarter worth $118,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 3rd quarter worth $126,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.