The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 2,670 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 99,738 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 2,670 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in AngloGold Ashanti were worth $2,250,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth about $115,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC increased its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 19.7% during the fourth quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 146,308 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $3,269,000 after purchasing an additional 24,042 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 47.0% during the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 52,758 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $1,177,000 after purchasing an additional 16,864 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,569,868 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $59,313,000 after buying an additional 1,045,335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth $566,000. 36.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 6.9 %

Shares of AngloGold Ashanti stock opened at $44.75 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $37.82 and its 200 day moving average is $30.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.78 billion, a PE ratio of 13.98 and a beta of 0.48. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 1 year low of $22.13 and a 1 year high of $46.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The mining company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti plc will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.69 dividend. This is a boost from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.22. This represents a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. AngloGold Ashanti’s dividend payout ratio is 43.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on AU shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. HSBC reaffirmed a “reduce” rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Thursday, April 17th. StockNews.com upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Scotiabank raised their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $33.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.00.

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.