Aegon Ltd. (NYSE:AEG) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Aegon Ltd. (NYSE:AEG - Get Free Report) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,540,000 shares, a drop of 5.9% from the March 31st total of 2,700,000 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,420,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days.

Aegon Stock Performance

Aegon stock traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $6.17. 2,176,539 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,288,110. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.64. Aegon has a fifty-two week low of $4.22 and a fifty-two week high of $6.38. The stock has a market cap of $16.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.51 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.08 and a quick ratio of 0.08.

Aegon Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 17th will be given a dividend of $0.1734 per share. This is a boost from Aegon's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 17th. This represents a yield of 4.9%. Aegon's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Aegon from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Aegon by 144.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 8,201 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 4,851 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Aegon in the third quarter worth $58,000. M&T Bank Corp bought a new position in shares of Aegon in the fourth quarter worth $60,000. Certuity LLC bought a new position in shares of Aegon in the fourth quarter worth $62,000. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Aegon in the first quarter worth $64,000. Institutional investors own 4.32% of the company's stock.

Aegon Company Profile

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.