AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,550,000 shares, an increase of 8.0% from the December 31st total of 5,140,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,140,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AU. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $126,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 378.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,782 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $127,000 after buying an additional 3,782 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 72.6% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,991 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $151,000 after acquiring an additional 2,520 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE AU opened at $30.97 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $25.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.14. AngloGold Ashanti has a 52-week low of $16.49 and a 52-week high of $32.57.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on AU. Investec upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Scotiabank raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “sector underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $30.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $31.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $31.75.

AngloGold Ashanti Company 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.