Clearbridge Investments LLC Acquires 1,128 Shares of Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO)

Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 252,270 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,128 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Assured Guaranty were worth $18,877,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new position in shares of Assured Guaranty during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Assured Guaranty in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Assured Guaranty in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Assured Guaranty in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Finally, Sage Rhino Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Assured Guaranty during the 4th quarter valued at $211,000. 92.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Assured Guaranty Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of AGO traded up $0.86 on Friday, reaching $76.08. The stock had a trading volume of 254,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 431,448. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.88 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.67. Assured Guaranty Ltd. has a 12-month low of $51.06 and a 12-month high of $96.60.

Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.55. The business had revenue of $245.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $194.78 million. Assured Guaranty had a return on equity of 12.48% and a net margin of 57.45%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.12 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Assured Guaranty Ltd. will post 6.45 EPS for the current year.

Assured Guaranty Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This is a positive change from Assured Guaranty’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Assured Guaranty’s payout ratio is currently 9.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on AGO. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $92.00 price target (up previously from $75.00) on shares of Assured Guaranty in a research report on Monday, April 1st. UBS Group upped their price target on Assured Guaranty from $64.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Laura Bieling sold 3,901 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.93, for a total value of $311,806.93. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 16,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,281,757.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Assured Guaranty news, CAO Laura Bieling sold 3,901 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.93, for a total transaction of $311,806.93. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 16,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,281,757.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Robert Bailenson sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.94, for a total value of $2,398,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 304,835 shares in the company, valued at $24,368,509.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 88,901 shares of company stock worth $7,793,657. Corporate insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

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.