VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Has $1.96 Million Holdings in Assurant, Inc. $AIZ

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems significantly increased its Assurant stake in the fourth quarter, boosting holdings by 146.7% to 8,140 shares worth about $1.96 million.
• Several major analysts turned more positive on Assurant, with Morgan Stanley upgrading the stock to Overweight and raising its price target to $285; other firms including UBS and Piper Sandler also lifted targets.
• Assurant reported better-than-expected Q1 results, posting $5.95 EPS versus $5.29 expected and revenue of $3.42 billion, while the stock recently traded near its 52-week high.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al grew its holdings in shares of Assurant, Inc. (NYSE:AIZ - Free Report) by 146.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,140 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,840 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al's holdings in Assurant were worth $1,961,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. grew its position in shares of Assurant by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 96,805 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $23,315,000 after purchasing an additional 908 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP boosted its position in shares of Assurant by 153.6% during the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 4,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $963,000 after acquiring an additional 2,423 shares in the last quarter. Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Assurant during the 4th quarter worth approximately $522,000. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of Assurant by 77.4% during the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 4,026 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $970,000 after acquiring an additional 1,757 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EWA LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Assurant during the 4th quarter worth approximately $218,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.65% of the company's stock.

Assurant News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Assurant this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley upgraded Assurant to Overweight and lifted its price target to $285, signaling confidence in further upside. Morgan Stanley upgrades Assurant (AIZ)
• Positive Sentiment: KBW reaffirmed its Buy rating on Assurant, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop. KBW Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Assurant (AIZ)
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital also gave Assurant a Buy rating, reinforcing expectations for continued strength in the business. Assurant (AIZ) Receives a Buy from BMO Capital
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst notes and earnings-call commentary are focusing attention on Assurant’s valuation and growth outlook after a strong quarter. Assessing Assurant (AIZ) Valuation After Recent Share Price Strength And Growth Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are highlighting questions from Assurant’s Q1 earnings call, which may help investors gauge the durability of recent results. 5 Revealing Analyst Questions From Assurant’s Q1 Earnings Call
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Jay Rosenblum sold 2,000 shares at an average price of $251.77, a routine insider sale that may slightly temper sentiment. Insider sale filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Assurant from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Assurant from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Assurant from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $240.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Assurant from $270.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Assurant from $264.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $272.17.

Insider Activity at Assurant

In related news, EVP Subhashish Sengupta sold 1,880 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.53, for a total value of $395,796.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,895 shares of the company's stock, valued at $609,484.35. This represents a 39.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Dimitry Dirienzo sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.98, for a total transaction of $158,235.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,741 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,000,256.18. The trade was a 13.66% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 4,650 shares of company stock valued at $1,061,871 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Assurant Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AIZ opened at $254.26 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $12.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.01 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $225.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $228.21. Assurant, Inc. has a one year low of $183.39 and a one year high of $257.17.

Assurant (NYSE:AIZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $5.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.29 by $0.66. The business had revenue of $3.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. Assurant had a net margin of 7.60% and a return on equity of 20.32%. The firm's revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.79 EPS. Research analysts predict that Assurant, Inc. will post 20.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Assurant

Assurant, Inc is a global provider of risk management products and services, specializing in the housing and lifestyle markets. The company offers insurance and related products designed to help consumers protect their homes, personal belongings, and electronic devices. Its core offerings include renters insurance, manufactured housing finance, flood insurance, mobile device protection plans, and extended service contracts for appliances and electronics.

Within its Global Housing segment, Assurant partners with mortgage lenders, financial institutions and government agencies to deliver specialty insurance and risk mitigation services.

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