Aviva plc (LON:AV) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Aviva a consensus “Hold” rating from six firms (1 sell, 2 hold, 3 buy) with an average 12‑month price target of GBX 698.83.
• Research is mixed: Deutsche Bank initiated coverage with a Buy and a GBX 760 target, while Jefferies cut Aviva to a Hold with a GBX 637 target.
• Stock and insider highlights: AV opened at GBX 627.30, has a market cap of £16.85bn and a P/E of 12.93, and insiders recently sold 222,480 shares while owning 0.17% of the company.

Aviva plc (LON:AV - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the six ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 698.83.

Several research firms recently commented on AV. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Aviva in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a GBX 760 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Aviva to a "hold" rating and set a GBX 637 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday.

Aviva Price Performance

AV stock opened at GBX 627.30 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of £16.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a 50-day moving average of GBX 633.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 650.16. Aviva has a 52-week low of GBX 390.70 and a 52-week high of GBX 510.20.

Aviva (LON:AV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported GBX 26.90 EPS for the quarter. Aviva had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 1.82%. Equities analysts expect that Aviva will post 46.4942529 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Aviva news, insider Pippa Lambert acquired 227 shares of Aviva stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 639 per share, with a total value of £1,450.53. Also, insider Charlotte Jones sold 222,480 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 610, for a total value of £1,357,128. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 686 shares of company stock worth $435,599. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

About Aviva

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. It also provides insurance cover to individuals, small and medium-sized businesses for risks associated with motor vehicles and medical expenses, as well as property and liability, such as employers' and professional indemnity liabilities.

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