Van ECK Associates Corp Boosts Stake in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) by 10.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,411,814 shares of the mining company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,491,130 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 6.05% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $586,504,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 308,991 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $7,132,000 after buying an additional 35,500 shares during the period. Cigna Investments Inc. New boosted its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 9,581 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $214,000 after acquiring an additional 1,390 shares in the last quarter. Aubrey Capital Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,163,000. Savant Capital LLC purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $254,000. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd acquired a new position in AngloGold Ashanti during the fourth quarter worth $45,043,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on AU shares. 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. Investec raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded 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. One equities 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $31.75.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE:AU opened at $33.13 on Thursday. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 12-month low of $16.49 and a 12-month high of $33.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.73. The company’s 50-day moving average is $26.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.42.

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.