Short Interest in Aegon NV (NYSE:AEG) Drops By 20.9%

Aegon NV (NYSE:AEG) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,435,274 shares, a decrease of 20.9% from the March 31st total of 3,077,130 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 6,206,596 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.4 days. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Aegon in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered Aegon from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Aegon in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $10.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Aegon in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Aegon from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $10.00.

Aegon Stock Performance

NYSE:AEG traded down $0.02 on Friday, hitting $8.22. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,957,112 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,253,057. The company has a current ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $7.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -51.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.85. Aegon has a one year low of $6.53 and a one year high of $8.31.

Aegon Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.2469 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a yield of 671.0%. Aegon’s dividend payout ratio is currently -237.50%.

Institutional Trading of Aegon

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AEG. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Aegon by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,839,732 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $83,576,000 after purchasing an additional 970,534 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Aegon by 306.1% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,169,541 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,667,000 after purchasing an additional 4,650,272 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its position in shares of Aegon by 24.1% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,546,698 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,635,000 after purchasing an additional 494,065 shares during the last quarter. Arrowpoint Investment Partners Singapore Pte. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Aegon by 31.1% in the fourth quarter. Arrowpoint Investment Partners Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 2,527,483 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,487,000 after purchasing an additional 599,104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA grew its position in shares of Aegon by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA now owns 2,097,310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,170,000 after purchasing an additional 15,442 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 4.32% of the company’s stock.

About Aegon

Aegon N.V. is a multinational financial services company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, specializing in life insurance, pensions and asset management. Established in 1983 through the merger of AGO and Ennia, Aegon has built a reputation for offering retirement solutions, savings products and protection plans aimed at helping customers secure their financial futures. The company operates under well-known brands, including Transamerica in the United States, and serves both individual and corporate clients.

Throughout its history, Aegon has pursued strategic acquisitions and partnerships to strengthen its market position and broaden its service offerings.