Andra AP fonden Sells 48,100 Shares of Assurant, Inc. (NYSE:AIZ)

Andra AP fonden lessened its holdings in shares of Assurant, Inc. (NYSE:AIZ - Free Report) by 80.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,500 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 48,100 shares during the quarter. Andra AP fonden's holdings in Assurant were worth $2,452,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Assurant by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,321 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $708,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Assurant in the 4th quarter valued at $3,810,000. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in shares of Assurant by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 15,044 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,208,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Assurant in the fourth quarter worth $12,390,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp raised its position in shares of Assurant by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,356 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. 92.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AIZ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Assurant from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the company from $212.00 to $230.00 in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Assurant from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Assurant from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Assurant in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $251.00 price objective for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $234.17.

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Assurant Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:AIZ traded up $2.50 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $204.08. 434,344 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 346,515. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The business's 50 day moving average is $208.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $205.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.37 billion, a PE ratio of 14.10 and a beta of 0.61. Assurant, Inc. has a one year low of $160.12 and a one year high of $230.55.

Assurant (NYSE:AIZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The financial services provider reported $4.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.83. Assurant had a return on equity of 17.25% and a net margin of 6.40%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Assurant, Inc. will post 16.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Assurant Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. Assurant's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Biju Nair sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.50, for a total transaction of $604,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,708 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,568,162. The trade was a 14.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Assurant

Assurant, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides business services that supports, protects, and connects consumer purchases in North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through two segments: Global Lifestyle and Global Housing. The Global Lifestyle segment offers mobile device solutions, and extended service contracts and related services for consumer electronics and appliances, and credit and other insurance products; and vehicle protection, commercial equipment, and other related services.