AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Sets New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $105.14 and last traded at $106.0110, with a volume of 654027 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $99.03.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 13th. Roth Capital increased their price objective on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.00.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.58 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.10 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $86.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.95.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The mining company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.02). AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 24.01% and a net margin of 26.25%.The company had revenue of $2.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that AngloGold Ashanti PLC will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

AngloGold Ashanti Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th were issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is currently 80.18%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AU. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,572 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 0.5% in the third quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 31,919 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $2,245,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 33.4% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 599 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 4.8% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,528 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 27.3% in the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,006 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

About AngloGold Ashanti

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.