UBS Group AG reduced its stake in Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO – Free Report) by 31.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 185,125 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 84,086 shares during the period. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Assured Guaranty were worth $16,637,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Assured Guaranty by 176.3% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 366,644 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,935,000 after purchasing an additional 233,966 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its position in Assured Guaranty by 60.7% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 481,707 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,957,000 after acquiring an additional 182,004 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Assured Guaranty by 12.2% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,333,024 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $112,840,000 after acquiring an additional 144,841 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its holdings in Assured Guaranty by 285.8% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 155,215 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,139,000 after purchasing an additional 114,979 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Assured Guaranty by 25.0% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 540,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,779,000 after purchasing an additional 108,280 shares during the period. 92.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, COO Robert Bailenson sold 50,000 shares of Assured Guaranty stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.62, for a total value of $3,931,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 256,251 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,146,453.62. This trade represents a 16.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Lorin Radtke sold 1,219 shares of Assured Guaranty stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.14, for a total value of $106,223.66. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $723,000.58. The trade was a 12.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 224,969 shares of company stock worth $18,027,948 in the last three months. 5.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Assured Guaranty
Assured Guaranty Stock Performance
Shares of AGO opened at $77.01 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $82.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Assured Guaranty Ltd. has a 12 month low of $74.18 and a 12 month high of $92.39. The company has a market cap of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.84 and a beta of 0.81.
Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $1.00. The firm had revenue of $261.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $208.63 million. Assured Guaranty had a return on equity of 6.98% and a net margin of 40.45%.The company’s revenue was down 24.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.18 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Assured Guaranty Ltd. will post 7.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Assured Guaranty Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Assured Guaranty’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.45%.
Assured Guaranty Profile
Assured Guaranty Ltd is a Bermuda-domiciled provider of financial guaranty insurance and reinsurance products serving public finance, infrastructure and structured finance markets. The company’s primary business activity is credit enhancement, whereby it guarantees the timely payment of principal and interest on debt obligations issued by municipal and infrastructure entities. By combining rigorous risk assessment with active portfolio management, Assured Guaranty helps issuers access capital at more attractive rates while protecting investors against credit events.
In its public finance segment, the company underwrites municipal bond insurance for state and local governments, public-private partnerships and essential infrastructure projects.
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