Lazard Asset Management LLC Increases Stake in Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO)

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,021 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Assured Guaranty were worth $1,685,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Assured Guaranty in the 4th quarter valued at $50,447,000. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Assured Guaranty by 67.4% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 1,116,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $100,463,000 after purchasing an additional 449,310 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Assured Guaranty in the 4th quarter valued at $28,060,000. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of Assured Guaranty by 46.0% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 806,821 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $72,904,000 after purchasing an additional 254,063 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Assured Guaranty by 89.0% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 488,895 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,005,000 after purchasing an additional 230,258 shares in the last quarter. 92.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Assured Guaranty Price Performance

Shares of AGO opened at $86.37 on Monday. Assured Guaranty Ltd. has a twelve month low of $72.57 and a twelve month high of $96.50. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $85.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.71 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.03. Assured Guaranty had a net margin of 70.37% and a return on equity of 11.58%. The business had revenue of $345.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $257.96 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.96 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Assured Guaranty Ltd. will post 7.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Assured Guaranty Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Assured Guaranty’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.25%.

Insider Activity at Assured Guaranty

In related news, CAO Laura Bieling sold 2,649 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.76, for a total value of $232,476.24. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 13,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,181,425.12. This trade represents a 16.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

About Assured Guaranty

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.