Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO) Sets New 1-Year Low - Here's What Happened

Shares of Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $85.80 and last traded at $87.69, with a volume of 346272 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $88.78.

Assured Guaranty Stock Up 0.3 %

The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $85.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $88.32. The firm has a market cap of $4.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.98 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.07). Assured Guaranty had a return on equity of 11.58% and a net margin of 70.37%. The business had revenue of $199.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $199.56 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Assured Guaranty Ltd. will post 7.3 EPS for the current year.

Assured Guaranty Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. Assured Guaranty's payout ratio is presently 19.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AGO. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Assured Guaranty by 46.3% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 471 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Assured Guaranty by 100.6% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 684 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Assured Guaranty by 27.6% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 717 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Assured Guaranty by 108.2% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 816 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Assured Guaranty during the 4th quarter worth approximately $97,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.22% of the company's stock.

Assured Guaranty Company Profile

Assured Guaranty Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides credit protection products to public finance, infrastructure, and structured finance markets in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Insurance and Asset Management. The company offers financial guaranty insurance that protects holders of debt instruments and other monetary obligations from defaults in scheduled payments.