AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $31.75.

Several analysts have recently commented on AU shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Investec upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Scotiabank upgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “sector underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $30.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $31.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 6th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AU. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 39.5% during the third 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. TT International Asset Management LTD grew its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 51.3% during the 3rd quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD now owns 2,836,110 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $75,525,000 after purchasing an additional 962,141 shares in the last quarter. Barings LLC increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 395.0% during the 2nd quarter. Barings LLC now owns 1,101,183 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $27,818,000 after purchasing an additional 878,717 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 159.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,251,492 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $33,327,000 after purchasing an additional 768,363 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp boosted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 1,504.8% in the 3rd quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 391,715 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $10,419,000 after buying an additional 367,306 shares during the period. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

Shares of AU stock opened at $26.03 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $10.93 billion, a PE ratio of 8.13 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $24.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.18. AngloGold Ashanti has a 12 month low of $15.80 and a 12 month high of $32.57.

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.