Aviva (LON:AV) Trading Down 0.6% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Shares of Aviva plc have decreased by 0.6% during mid-day trading, recently trading at GBX 677.80 ($9.14), down from a previous close of GBX 682.20 ($9.20).
• Analysts have increased their target price for Aviva, with JPMorgan raising it from GBX 695 to GBX 735, and Citigroup adjusting theirs from GBX 623 to GBX 687, indicating a generally positive outlook for the stock.
• Insiders have shown confidence in the company by purchasing a total of 33,836 shares valued at over $21 million in the past ninety days.

Shares of Aviva plc (LON:AV - Get Free Report) traded down 0.6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as GBX 675.20 ($9.10) and last traded at GBX 677.80 ($9.14). 4,507,057 shares were traded during mid-day trading, The stock had previously closed at GBX 682.20 ($9.20).

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AV has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Aviva from GBX 695 to GBX 735 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Aviva from GBX 623 to GBX 687 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of GBX 711.

Aviva Stock Up 0.5%

The firm has a market capitalization of £18.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.04, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 68.87, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 2.93. The stock has a 50 day moving average of GBX 662.09 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 611.94.

Aviva (LON:AV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The company reported GBX 21.70 earnings per share for the quarter. Aviva had a net margin of 3.52% and a return on equity of 14.82%. Research analysts predict that Aviva plc will post 46.4942529 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Ian Clark bought 8,100 shares of Aviva stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 617 per share, with a total value of £49,977. Also, insider Amanda Blanc purchased 19,142 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 3rd. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 623 per share, for a total transaction of £119,254.66. Insiders bought 33,836 shares of company stock valued at $21,031,228 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Aviva Company Profile

Aviva plc provides various insurance, retirement, investment, and savings products in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and internationally. The company offers life insurance, long-term health and accident insurance, savings, pension, and annuity products, as well as pension fund business and lifetime mortgage products.

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