AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Short Interest Up 10.8% in November

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 13,220,000 shares, an increase of 10.8% from the October 31st total of 11,930,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,530,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.2 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $31.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Investec raised AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.00.

Institutional Trading of AngloGold Ashanti

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 26.1% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,383 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 493 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 17.3% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,938 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 433 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 338.3% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,471 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 2,679 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $126,000. Finally, Cigna Investments Inc. New acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $206,000. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

NYSE AU traded up $1.05 on Tuesday, hitting $25.69. 4,809,942 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,191,009. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $26.95 and a 200 day moving average of $27.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. AngloGold Ashanti has a twelve month low of $15.80 and a twelve 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.