AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Shares Gap Up to $23.12

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $23.12, but opened at $23.86. AngloGold Ashanti shares last traded at $24.14, with a volume of 306,517 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AU has been the topic of several recent research reports. HSBC cut AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $23.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $24.25.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Up 3.1 %

The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.40.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.1%. This is an increase from AngloGold Ashanti’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.03. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 27,747,289 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $615,990,000 after buying an additional 1,948,322 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,743,697 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $312,940,000 after buying an additional 1,215,741 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 312.3% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 6,003,149 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $112,199,000 after acquiring an additional 4,547,011 shares during the last quarter. Oaktree Capital Management LP grew its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Oaktree Capital Management LP now owns 5,874,951 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $109,803,000 after acquiring an additional 446,132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TT International Asset Management LTD increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD now owns 3,562,919 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $66,590,000 after acquiring an additional 995,709 shares during the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.