Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Acquires Shares of 31,200 American Equity Investment Life Holding (NYSE:AEL)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of American Equity Investment Life Holding (NYSE:AEL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 31,200 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,741,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of American Equity Investment Life by 5,296.0% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,669,263 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $89,539,000 after buying an additional 1,638,328 shares during the period. Soros Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Equity Investment Life in the third quarter worth about $71,649,000. Alpine Associates Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Equity Investment Life during the third quarter valued at approximately $51,012,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of American Equity Investment Life in the 4th quarter valued at $35,057,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management purchased a new stake in American Equity Investment Life in the third quarter valued at about $26,850,000. Institutional investors own 94.98% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AEL shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of American Equity Investment Life from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on American Equity Investment Life in a report on Monday, March 11th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $52.50.

American Equity Investment Life Price Performance

NYSE:AEL traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $55.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 840,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 536,375. The business's 50-day moving average is $55.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $4.40 billion, a PE ratio of 25.89 and a beta of 0.80. American Equity Investment Life Holding has a 52-week low of $36.69 and a 52-week high of $56.40.

American Equity Investment Life (NYSE:AEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.24. American Equity Investment Life had a return on equity of 25.15% and a net margin of 7.42%. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $673.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.64 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 61.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that American Equity Investment Life Holding will post 7.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Equity Investment Life Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 12th. This is an increase from American Equity Investment Life's previous annual dividend of $0.02. This represents a yield of 0.68%. American Equity Investment Life's payout ratio is currently 17.76%.

American Equity Investment Life Profile

American Equity Investment Life Holding Company, through its subsidiaries, provides life insurance products in the United States. The company issues fixed index and rate annuities, as well as single premium immediate annuities. It markets its products through independent agents, including independent marketing organizations, broker/dealers, banks, and registered investment advisors.