AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) Stock Price Up 4.5%

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) rose 4.5% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $25.34 and last traded at $25.34. Approximately 650,773 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 68% from the average daily volume of 2,045,552 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.26.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AngloGold Ashanti currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.50.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day moving average is $20.49 and its 200-day moving average is $18.74.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the first quarter valued at approximately $282,000. APG Asset Management N.V. bought a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter valued at $2,163,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 395.1% in the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 82,383 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $1,973,000 after purchasing an additional 65,743 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 51.6% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,050,334 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $48,572,000 after purchasing an additional 697,908 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in AngloGold Ashanti by 44.1% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,412,291 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $33,457,000 after purchasing an additional 432,001 shares in the last quarter. 36.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AngloGold Ashanti Company Profile

AngloGold Ashanti plc operates as a gold mining company in Africa, the Americas, and Australia. 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 project located in the Lake Victoria goldfields of the Mwanza region in north-western Tanzania.