Aegon (NYSE:AEG) Cut to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Aegon (NYSE:AEG - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on AEG. BNP Paribas raised Aegon from a "hold" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. BNP Paribas Exane raised Aegon from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised Aegon to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Aegon presently has an average rating of "Buy".

Aegon Trading Down 1.8%

AEG stock traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $6.98. The stock had a trading volume of 3,644,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,458,089. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $6.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market cap of $15.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.27, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.91. Aegon has a twelve month low of $5.42 and a twelve month high of $7.32.

Aegon declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Friday, May 16th that allows the company to buyback 0 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Aegon

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Aegon during the 4th quarter worth $15,397,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Aegon by 517.6% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,220,786 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,190,000 after buying an additional 1,023,116 shares during the last quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Aegon by 450.5% during the 4th quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC now owns 1,028,750 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,059,000 after buying an additional 841,863 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aegon during the 4th quarter worth $4,733,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Aegon by 91.7% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,419,940 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,363,000 after purchasing an additional 679,126 shares during the last quarter. 4.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Aegon

Aegon Ltd. provides insurance, pensions, retirement, and asset management services in the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company offers life, accident, property and casualty, and health insurance; annuities, retirement plans, mutual funds, and stable value solutions; residential mortgage and digital baking services; and retail and institutional investment management solutions and retirement savings vehicles and strategies.