AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

AngloGold Ashanti PLC (NYSE:AU – Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,853,330 shares, a decline of 37.3% from the August 31st total of 6,149,659 shares. Currently, 0.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 2,240,804 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:AU traded up $0.23 during trading on Friday, hitting $94.43. 505,959 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,910,692. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a market cap of $47.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.65 and a beta of 0.73. AngloGold Ashanti has a fifty-two week low of $62.55 and a fifty-two week high of $129.14. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $100.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.55.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The mining company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.03 by ($0.05). AngloGold Ashanti had a return on equity of 38.77% and a net margin of 32.19%.The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st were issued a $0.72 dividend. This is a drop from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. AngloGold Ashanti’s payout ratio is presently 6.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AU shares. Zacks Research raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on AngloGold Ashanti from $134.00 to $128.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $111.00 to $119.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $115.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $113.14.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on AU

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 240.3% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,882 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,329 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 103.0% during the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 78,521 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $6,352,000 after purchasing an additional 39,832 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the second quarter worth approximately $187,000. RFG Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 4.2% during the second quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 13,360 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $1,081,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 27.9% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,504 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $931,000 after purchasing an additional 2,507 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

About AngloGold Ashanti

(Get Free Report)

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE: AU) is a global gold mining company engaged in the exploration, development, and production of gold. Its activities include operating mines, processing ore into doré and bullion, and developing mineral resources and reserves. The company also conducts exploration and evaluation activities in areas with potential for additional gold discoveries.

The company has mining operations and projects across several regions, including Africa, Australia, the Americas, and other international markets.

Further Reading

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