Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO - Get Free Report) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $1.00, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $261.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.63 million. Assured Guaranty had a net margin of 40.45% and a return on equity of 6.92%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.18 earnings per share.
Assured Guaranty Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE AGO traded down $7.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $75.12. 1,337,167 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 357,222. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $83.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $85.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.62 and a beta of 0.81. Assured Guaranty has a twelve month low of $74.18 and a twelve month high of $92.39.
Assured Guaranty Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Assured Guaranty's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.84%.
Insider Activity at Assured Guaranty
In other news, Director Francisco L. Borges sold 123,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.22, for a total transaction of $9,927,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 176,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,195,089.44. This trade represents a 41.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Dominic Frederico sold 29,998 shares of Assured Guaranty stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.41, for a total transaction of $2,442,137.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,264,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at $102,926,255.95. This trade represents a 2.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 174,969 shares of company stock worth $14,096,948. 5.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Trading of Assured Guaranty
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jain Global LLC bought a new position in Assured Guaranty in the 4th quarter valued at about $209,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Assured Guaranty by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,423 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 385 shares during the period. Xponance LLC bought a new position in Assured Guaranty in the 4th quarter valued at about $202,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Assured Guaranty in the 4th quarter valued at about $198,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Assured Guaranty in the 3rd quarter valued at about $135,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.22% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Assured Guaranty from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of Assured Guaranty from $108.00 to $103.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Assured Guaranty from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Roth Mkm downgraded shares of Assured Guaranty from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $92.33.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on AGO
Assured Guaranty News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Assured Guaranty this week:
About Assured Guaranty
(
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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