AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) Short Interest Up 8.0% in December

AngloGold Ashanti plc (NYSE:AU) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,550,000 shares, a growth of 8.0% from the December 15th total of 5,140,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,140,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AU. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in AngloGold Ashanti in the 3rd quarter worth $126,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 378.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,782 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 3,782 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 72.6% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,991 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $151,000 after buying an additional 2,520 shares during the period. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti during the third quarter valued at about $222,000. Institutional investors own 36.09% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Price Performance

Shares of AU stock traded up $0.31 during trading on Friday, hitting $27.28. The company had a trading volume of 2,534,422 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,959,805. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $24.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. AngloGold Ashanti has a 52 week low of $15.80 and a 52 week high of $32.57.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.