UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Increases Position in Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO - Free Report) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 222,403 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,491 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.44% of Assured Guaranty worth $20,018,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Assured Guaranty in the 4th quarter worth about $50,447,000. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Assured Guaranty by 67.4% during the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 1,116,131 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $100,463,000 after buying an additional 449,310 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Assured Guaranty in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,060,000. Boston Partners increased its stake in Assured Guaranty by 46.0% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 806,821 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $72,904,000 after purchasing an additional 254,063 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Assured Guaranty by 89.0% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 488,895 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $44,005,000 after purchasing an additional 230,258 shares during the period. 92.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Assured Guaranty

In other news, CEO Dominic Frederico sold 71,917 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.11, for a total value of $6,192,772.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,348,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at $116,082,566.03. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Laura Bieling sold 2,649 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.76, for a total value of $232,476.24. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 13,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,181,425.12. The trade was a 16.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 85,004 shares of company stock worth $7,324,274. 5.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Assured Guaranty Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of AGO traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $84.59. 356,223 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 346,603. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Assured Guaranty Ltd. has a 1 year low of $72.57 and a 1 year high of $96.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.57 and a beta of 0.82. The business's 50-day moving average price is $85.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.37.

Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.03. Assured Guaranty had a return on equity of 11.58% and a net margin of 70.37%. The company had revenue of $345.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $257.96 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.96 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Assured Guaranty Ltd. will post 7.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Assured Guaranty Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Assured Guaranty's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.25%.

Assured Guaranty 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.