Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Has $1.68 Million Stock Position in Aegon Ltd. (NYSE:AEG)

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Aegon Ltd. (NYSE:AEG - Free Report) by 25.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 254,433 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 52,174 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Aegon were worth $1,677,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Aegon by 499.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 38,986 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 32,477 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Aegon by 17,502.2% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 40,309 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 40,080 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP grew its stake in Aegon by 40.8% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 19,189 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 5,557 shares in the last quarter. Arrowpoint Investment Partners Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Aegon in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,635,000. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Aegon by 27.6% in the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 1,895,842 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $11,167,000 after purchasing an additional 409,694 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 4.32% of the company's stock.

Aegon Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE AEG traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $7.27. 9,783,329 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,889,072. Aegon Ltd. has a 12 month low of $5.42 and a 12 month high of $7.32. The company's 50 day moving average price is $6.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $6.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.02 billion, a PE ratio of 7.57 and a beta of 0.92.

Aegon announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Friday, May 16th that permits the company to buyback 0 shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Aegon Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be given a dividend of $0.1992 per share. This is a boost from Aegon's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a yield of 5.3%. Aegon's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on AEG. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Aegon from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded Aegon from a "hold" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Aegon to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Aegon from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy".

About Aegon

Aegon Ltd. provides insurance, pensions, retirement, and asset management services in the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company offers life, accident, property and casualty, and health insurance; annuities, retirement plans, mutual funds, and stable value solutions; residential mortgage and digital baking services; and retail and institutional investment management solutions and retirement savings vehicles and strategies.