Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Buys 6,581 Shares of Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO)

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO - Free Report) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 74,039 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 6,581 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.15% of Assured Guaranty worth $6,664,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in Assured Guaranty by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 21,508 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,935,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Assured Guaranty by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 10,083 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $908,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in Assured Guaranty by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 12,590 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,133,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Assured Guaranty by 46.3% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 471 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Assured Guaranty by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,929 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.22% of the company's stock.

Assured Guaranty Stock Performance

NYSE:AGO traded up $0.62 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $85.35. 317,757 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 352,044. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.26 billion, a PE ratio of 6.63 and a beta of 0.84. Assured Guaranty Ltd. has a one year low of $72.57 and a one year high of $96.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $85.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $88.05.

Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $199.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $199.56 million. Assured Guaranty had a net margin of 70.37% and a return on equity of 11.58%. Analysts anticipate that Assured Guaranty Ltd. will post 7.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Assured Guaranty Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This is a positive change from Assured Guaranty's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. Assured Guaranty's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.94%.

About Assured Guaranty

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.