AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) saw a large decrease in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,500,000 shares, a decrease of 13.2% from the March 15th total of 7,490,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,060,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.2 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised 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, five have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.50.

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE:AU traded down $0.52 on Tuesday, hitting $23.29. 2,910,952 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,147,296. AngloGold Ashanti has a 12 month low of $14.91 and a 12 month high of $30.26. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $20.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $18.86.

AngloGold Ashanti Increases Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AngloGold Ashanti

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AU. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main grew its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 89.1% in the fourth quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 1,475 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 695 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. CWM LLC grew its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 36.1% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,890 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Middle East FZE purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the second quarter valued at about $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

About AngloGold Ashanti

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.