AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Shares Bought by Ruffer LLP

Ruffer LLP lifted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) by 56.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,653,726 shares of the mining company’s stock after acquiring an additional 599,266 shares during the quarter. AngloGold Ashanti accounts for about 1.4% of Ruffer LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Ruffer LLP owned 0.39% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $38,168,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of AU. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL boosted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 18.9% during the third quarter. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL now owns 16,770 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $464,000 after buying an additional 2,670 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 95.6% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 247,292 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $6,585,000 after buying an additional 120,844 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 297.9% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 259,120 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $6,900,000 after purchasing an additional 193,992 shares in the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $368,000. Finally, FMR LLC grew its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 39.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,448,445 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $277,968,000 after acquiring an additional 2,957,304 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 2.3 %

AU stock opened at $31.61 on Friday. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 52-week low of $20.05 and a 52-week high of $33.77. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $28.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.88 and a beta of 0.92.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The mining company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.75 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.69 per share. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

AngloGold Ashanti Profile

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.