Amundi Boosts Stock Position in Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO)

Amundi lifted its holdings in Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO - Free Report) by 646.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 74,228 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 64,290 shares during the period. Amundi owned about 0.15% of Assured Guaranty worth $6,594,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AGO. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in Assured Guaranty by 66.6% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 493 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Assured Guaranty by 6.5% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 4,102 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its position in shares of Assured Guaranty by 4.4% during the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 25,512 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,029,000 after purchasing an additional 1,085 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Assured Guaranty by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,647 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $370,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Assured Guaranty during the third quarter valued at $211,000. 92.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Assured Guaranty Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE:AGO traded up $0.72 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $86.66. 210,017 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 258,591. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.73 and a beta of 1.11. Assured Guaranty Ltd. has a 12-month low of $72.57 and a 12-month high of $96.50. The firm's fifty day moving average is $90.12 and its 200-day moving average is $87.37.

Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $199.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $199.56 million. Assured Guaranty had a return on equity of 11.58% and a net margin of 70.37%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Assured Guaranty Ltd. will post 7.3 EPS for the current year.

Assured Guaranty Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. This is an increase from Assured Guaranty's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. Assured Guaranty's payout ratio is 19.94%.

Assured Guaranty 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.