Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO) Shares Acquired by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO) by 67.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,116,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 449,310 shares during the quarter. Assured Guaranty accounts for approximately 1.3% of River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Assured Guaranty were worth $100,463,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AGO. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Assured Guaranty in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Assured Guaranty during the third quarter worth $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Assured Guaranty during the third quarter worth $38,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in Assured Guaranty by 66.6% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 493 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Assured Guaranty by 183.8% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 596 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the period. 92.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Assured Guaranty Stock Performance

Shares of AGO stock opened at $83.08 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a PE ratio of 6.46 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Assured Guaranty Ltd. has a 52-week low of $72.57 and a 52-week high of $96.50.

Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.07). Assured Guaranty had a net margin of 70.37% and a return on equity of 11.58%. The company had revenue of $199.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $199.56 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Assured Guaranty Ltd. will post 7.3 EPS for the current year.

Assured Guaranty Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be issued a $0.34 dividend. This is a boost from Assured Guaranty’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. Assured Guaranty’s payout ratio is presently 19.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AGO has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group lifted their price target on Assured Guaranty from $87.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com raised Assured Guaranty from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Assured Guaranty from $92.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th.

Assured Guaranty Company Profile

Assured Guaranty Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides credit protection products to public finance, infrastructure, and structured finance markets in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Insurance and Asset Management. The company offers financial guaranty insurance that protects holders of debt instruments and other monetary obligations from defaults in scheduled payments.