Oxford Asset Management LLP Takes Position in Assurant, Inc. (NYSE:AIZ)

Oxford Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Assurant, Inc. (NYSE:AIZ - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,749 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $373,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in Assurant during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Assurant by 127.1% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 134 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in shares of Assurant by 219.1% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 150 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Assurant by 503.1% in the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 193 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Assurant by 42.8% during the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 287 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. 92.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Assurant Stock Up 2.5 %

NYSE:AIZ traded up $4.77 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $196.40. 115,454 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 383,592. Assurant, Inc. has a one year low of $160.12 and a one year high of $230.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $200.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $206.69. The company has a market cap of $9.99 billion, a PE ratio of 13.55 and a beta of 0.53.

Assurant (NYSE:AIZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The financial services provider reported $4.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.83. Assurant had a return on equity of 17.25% and a net margin of 6.40%. Equities analysts predict that Assurant, Inc. will post 16.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AIZ shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Assurant from $230.00 to $224.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. StockNews.com downgraded Assurant from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Assurant from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $223.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Assurant from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $234.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Assurant

In related news, EVP Biju Nair sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.50, for a total transaction of $604,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,708 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,568,162. This represents a 14.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Assurant Profile

Assurant, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides business services that supports, protects, and connects consumer purchases in North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through two segments: Global Lifestyle and Global Housing. The Global Lifestyle segment offers mobile device solutions, and extended service contracts and related services for consumer electronics and appliances, and credit and other insurance products; and vehicle protection, commercial equipment, and other related services.