American Equity Investment Life (NYSE:AEL) Sets New 52-Week High at $57.29

Shares of American Equity Investment Life Holding (NYSE:AEL) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $57.29 and last traded at $56.47, with a volume of 24215765 shares. The stock had previously closed at $56.16.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEL has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of American Equity Investment Life in a report on Monday, March 11th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of American Equity Investment Life from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $52.50.

American Equity Investment Life Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $55.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $4.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.39 and a beta of 0.78.

American Equity Investment Life (NYSE:AEL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.24. American Equity Investment Life had a net margin of 7.42% and a return on equity of 25.15%. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $673.53 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.64 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 61.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that American Equity Investment Life Holding will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Equity Investment Life Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 29th. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th were issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.68%. This is an increase from American Equity Investment Life’s previous annual dividend of $0.02. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 12th. American Equity Investment Life’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.76%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Equity Investment Life

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in American Equity Investment Life during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Equity Investment Life in the 4th quarter valued at $207,000. NDVR Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Equity Investment Life during the fourth quarter worth $225,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda raised its stake in American Equity Investment Life by 300.8% during the fourth quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda now owns 4,140 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 3,107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pathstone Family Office LLC acquired a new position in American Equity Investment Life in the third quarter valued at $230,000. 94.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Equity Investment Life Company Profile

American Equity Investment Life Holding Company, through its subsidiaries, provides life insurance products in the United States. The company issues fixed index and rate annuities, as well as single premium immediate annuities. It markets its products through independent agents, including independent marketing organizations, broker/dealers, banks, and registered investment advisors.