Key Points
- Insider sale: Director Lorin Radtke sold 1,219 shares at an average price of $87.14 for a total of $106,223.66, trimming his stake by 12.81% to 8,297 shares.
- Earnings beat: Assured Guaranty reported quarterly EPS of $2.32 vs. $1.54 expected and revenue of $277.0 million vs. $205.83 million, with revenue up 77.6% year‑over‑year.
- Dividend increase and analyst view: The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.38 (annualized $1.52, 1.8% yield; ex‑dividend March 6), and analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $101.00.
Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO - Get Free Report) Director Lorin Radtke sold 1,219 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.14, for a total transaction of $106,223.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,297 shares in the company, valued at $723,000.58. The trade was a 12.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.
Assured Guaranty Price Performance
Shares of NYSE AGO traded down $1.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $85.11. 97,831 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 280,119. Assured Guaranty Ltd. has a 52 week low of $74.09 and a 52 week high of $92.39. The company's 50 day moving average price is $86.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.83 billion, a PE ratio of 8.31 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.
Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.78. Assured Guaranty had a return on equity of 7.77% and a net margin of 45.31%.The business had revenue of $277.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $205.83 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.27 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 77.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Assured Guaranty Ltd. will post 7.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Assured Guaranty Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Assured Guaranty's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Assured Guaranty's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.28%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research analysts have commented on AGO shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Assured Guaranty in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Assured Guaranty from $105.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Assured Guaranty from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Assured Guaranty from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $101.00.
View Our Latest Report on Assured Guaranty
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Assured Guaranty
Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Assured Guaranty by 218.1% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 162,615 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $13,765,000 after purchasing an additional 111,498 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Assured Guaranty by 43.4% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 170,242 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $14,828,000 after acquiring an additional 51,519 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in Assured Guaranty during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,363,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Assured Guaranty by 204.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,135 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,820,000 after acquiring an additional 22,924 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Assured Guaranty by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,145,054 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $96,929,000 after acquiring an additional 92,148 shares in the last quarter. 92.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Assured Guaranty Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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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