Assured Guaranty Ltd. $AGO Stock: TT Capital Management LLC Grows Holdings

Key Points

• TT Capital Management increased its Assured Guaranty stake by 145.8% in the third quarter to 50,701 shares, while institutional investors collectively own 92.22% of AGO.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with three Buy ratings and one Hold rating contributing to a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $91.
• AGO recently traded at $70.41 and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.38, equivalent to a $1.52 annualized payout and a 2.2% yield; the company reported quarterly EPS of $1.23.

TT Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO - Free Report) by 145.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,701 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 30,075 shares during the quarter. Assured Guaranty accounts for 1.7% of TT Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. TT Capital Management LLC owned 0.12% of Assured Guaranty worth $3,433,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Assured Guaranty during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $463,926,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Assured Guaranty in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,108,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Assured Guaranty in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $23,025,000. Man Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Assured Guaranty in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $13,439,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Assured Guaranty by 32.9% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 499,347 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $40,687,000 after buying an additional 123,672 shares during the last quarter. 92.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AGO shares. UBS Group set a $91.00 price target on shares of Assured Guaranty in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Assured Guaranty from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Roth Capital upgraded Assured Guaranty from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $80.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Assured Guaranty from $101.00 to $97.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Assured Guaranty from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Assured Guaranty has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $91.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Guaranty Ltd Assured bought 209,388 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 22nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $24.83 per share, for a total transaction of $5,199,104.04. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 1,212,106 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,096,591.98. This represents a 20.88% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 5.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Assured Guaranty Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AGO traded up $1.43 on Thursday, reaching $70.41. 76,882 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 373,519. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.38 and a beta of 0.73. Assured Guaranty Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $67.24 and a fifty-two week high of $92.39. The business's 50-day moving average is $72.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter. Assured Guaranty had a net margin of 37.34% and a return on equity of 7.11%. The business had revenue of $195.00 million during the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Assured Guaranty Ltd. will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Assured Guaranty Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th were given a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Assured Guaranty's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.27%.

Assured Guaranty Company Profile

Assured Guaranty Ltd. NYSE: AGO is a Bermuda-based holding company that provides financial guarantees and related insurance services through its subsidiaries. The company helps protect investors and lenders from losses arising from defaults on debt obligations, with a primary focus on public finance and structured finance markets.

Its public finance business provides guarantees for municipal bonds and other obligations issued to fund essential infrastructure and public services, including transportation, utilities, healthcare and education.

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