American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,670,000 shares, an increase of 8.7% from the January 15th total of 8,900,000 shares. Approximately 1.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 4,120,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at American International Group

In related news, Director John G. Rice purchased 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $77.00 per share, with a total value of $770,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 10,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $770,000. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American International Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of American International Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $718,013,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of American International Group by 32.4% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 25,013,346 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,831,727,000 after purchasing an additional 6,119,996 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of American International Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $135,325,000. Prana Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of American International Group by 280.5% in the third quarter. Prana Capital Management LP now owns 1,888,072 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $138,264,000 after purchasing an additional 1,391,859 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec raised its stake in shares of American International Group by 2,134.0% in the fourth quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 1,426,985 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $103,885,000 after purchasing an additional 1,363,108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of American International Group from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of American International Group from $76.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $79.00 target price (down from $83.00) on shares of American International Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $87.00 price target on shares of American International Group in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of American International Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $83.94.

American International Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AIG traded up $0.47 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $76.72. 5,936,218 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,709,612. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. American International Group has a 12 month low of $68.65 and a 12 month high of $80.83. The company's 50 day moving average price is $73.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $74.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.52 billion, a PE ratio of -36.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.05.

American International Group (NYSE:AIG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.33 by ($0.03). American International Group had a negative net margin of 4.25% and a positive return on equity of 8.01%. As a group, analysts predict that American International Group will post 6.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American International Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. American International Group's payout ratio is -76.92%.

About American International Group

American International Group, Inc offers insurance products for commercial, institutional, and individual customers in North America and internationally. It operates through three segments: General Insurance, Life and Retirement, and Other Operations. The General Insurance segment provides commercial and industrial property insurance, including business interruption and package insurance that cover exposure to made and natural disasters; general liability, environmental, commercial automobile liability, workers' compensation, excess casualty, and crisis management insurance products; and professional liability insurance.