Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO) Price Target Increased to $75.00 by Analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO) had its price target increased by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $72.00 to $75.00 in a research report report published on Friday, Benzinga reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has an outperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Assured Guaranty in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company.

Assured Guaranty Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AGO opened at $66.43 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $62.09 and its 200 day moving average is $58.38. The company has a market cap of $3.80 billion, a PE ratio of 8.83 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Assured Guaranty has a twelve month low of $45.21 and a twelve month high of $67.25.

Assured Guaranty Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 14th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. Assured Guaranty’s payout ratio is 14.89%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Robert Bailenson sold 10,000 shares of Assured Guaranty stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.33, for a total transaction of $583,300.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 296,936 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,320,276.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Dominic Frederico sold 29,977 shares of Assured Guaranty stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.13, for a total value of $1,832,494.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,371,016 shares in the company, valued at $83,810,208.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Robert Bailenson sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.33, for a total value of $583,300.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 296,936 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,320,276.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.82% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Assured Guaranty

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in Assured Guaranty by 2.6% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 7,358 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $445,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Assured Guaranty by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 3,964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $240,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Eaton Vance Management lifted its position in Assured Guaranty by 2.1% in the first quarter. Eaton Vance Management now owns 10,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $653,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in Assured Guaranty by 1.4% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 16,041 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $971,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Assured Guaranty by 28.7% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,117 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. 88.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Assured Guaranty

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