Aegon (NYSE:AEG) Shares Gap Up - Still a Buy?

Shares of Aegon NV (NYSE:AEG - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $7.02, but opened at $7.30. Aegon shares last traded at $7.24, with a volume of 2,586,631 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Aegon from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Aegon from a "hold" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Aegon to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Aegon from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Aegon Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.06 and a current ratio of 0.06. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.92.

Aegon Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.1992 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. This is an increase from Aegon's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. This represents a yield of 5.3%. Aegon's payout ratio is 38.54%.

Aegon announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Friday, May 16th that permits the company to repurchase 0 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Aegon

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AEG. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Aegon by 1,136.2% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,846 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 4,454 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Aegon by 526.8% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 4,325 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 3,635 shares during the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Aegon in the first quarter valued at about $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Aegon by 70.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 9,184 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 3,802 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Aegon during the first quarter valued at about $61,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 4.32% of the company's stock.

Aegon Company Profile

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.