Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 34,001 Shares of AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU)

Franklin Resources Inc. lowered its position in AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 864,180 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 34,001 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.21% of AngloGold Ashanti worth $23,719,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in 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 buying an additional 2,679 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 17.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 573,380 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $14,409,000 after acquiring an additional 83,641 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 2nd quarter worth $227,000. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich purchased a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 2nd quarter worth $374,000. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 439,900 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $11,055,000 after purchasing an additional 9,794 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on AU shares. StockNews.com lowered AngloGold Ashanti from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on AngloGold Ashanti from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $31.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Scotiabank raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “sector underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $30.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Investec raised shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.75.

AngloGold Ashanti Trading Up 0.5 %

AU stock opened at $23.26 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.27 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $26.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.07. AngloGold Ashanti plc has a 1-year low of $15.80 and a 1-year high of $32.57. 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 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.