AngloGold Ashanti Sees Moderate Buy Consensus; Q3 EPS Miss and 3.7% Dividend
Eight brokerages maintain a "Moderate Buy" consensus for AngloGold Ashanti, with six buy, one hold, one sell, while Scotiabank upgraded it to "sector outperform". The miner posted Q3 EPS of $1.32 versus $1.34 expected on $2.42 billion revenue and a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share for a 3.7% yield.
1. Analyst Consensus and Ratings
AngloGold Ashanti has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from eight brokerages covering the stock. Of these, six have issued buy ratings, one has assigned a hold rating and one has given a sell rating. Recent analyst actions include a downgrade by Zacks Research from strong-buy to hold, Scotiabank’s upgrade to sector-outperform alongside a modest upward revision to its target, and Wall Street Zen’s move from hold to buy, reflecting broadly positive sentiment despite some divergent views.
2. Stock Performance and Financial Metrics
Shares of AngloGold Ashanti have demonstrated resilience, trading near the high-90s range and supporting a market capitalization of approximately $50 billion. Intraday volatility has remained contained within the mid-90s to high-90s, while over the past year the stock has fluctuated between a low in the high-20s and a high just above the 100 mark. Key balance-sheet ratios include a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 2.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Momentum indicators show a 50-day simple moving average around the mid-80s and a 200-day average in the high-60s, underscoring a sustained uptrend.
3. Recent Earnings and Dividend Profile
In its most recent quarter, AngloGold Ashanti reported earnings per share of 1.32, narrowly missing consensus estimates by 0.02. The company generated revenue of 2.42 billion, compared with forecasts of 2.53 billion, and delivered a net margin of 26.25% and a return on equity of 24.01%. Analysts project full-year EPS of approximately 3.83. On the capital returns front, the firm declared a quarterly dividend of 0.91 per share, representing an annualized payout of 3.64 and yielding roughly 3.7%, with a payout ratio of 80.18%.
4. Institutional Investment Activity
Institutional interest in AngloGold Ashanti has been noteworthy, with Empowered Funds LLC establishing a new position and Rhumbline Advisers boosting its stake by 194.3%. Diversified Trust Co and Counterpoint Mutual Funds also initiated positions during recent quarters, while Farther Finance Advisors expanded its holding by over 500%. In total, institutions now own approximately 36.09% of the company’s outstanding shares, signaling sustained confidence from professional investors.