Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO) Shares Sold by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO - Free Report) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 141,876 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,410 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.28% of Assured Guaranty worth $12,770,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AGO. D.A. Davidson & CO. purchased a new position in Assured Guaranty during the 3rd quarter worth $277,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Assured Guaranty by 112.9% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 216,912 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $17,249,000 after buying an additional 115,012 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Assured Guaranty in the 3rd quarter valued at about $281,000. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its stake in Assured Guaranty by 247.1% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 18,853 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,499,000 after acquiring an additional 13,422 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in Assured Guaranty during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 92.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Assured Guaranty Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AGO traded down $5.12 during trading on Friday, reaching $78.96. The company had a trading volume of 447,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 356,854. Assured Guaranty Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $72.57 and a fifty-two week high of $96.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $89.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $88.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.14 and a beta of 1.11.

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Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $199.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $199.56 million. Assured Guaranty had a net margin of 70.37% and a return on equity of 11.58%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Assured Guaranty Ltd. will post 7.3 EPS for the current year.

Assured Guaranty Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.72%. This is an increase from Assured Guaranty's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Assured Guaranty's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.