Aviva plc (LON:AV) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Aviva plc (LON:AV - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is GBX 524.80 ($6.81).

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AV shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Aviva from GBX 525 ($6.81) to GBX 550 ($7.13) and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a GBX 545 ($7.07) price objective on shares of Aviva in a research report on Friday, July 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Aviva in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock.

Aviva Stock Performance

AV traded up GBX 4.90 ($0.06) during trading on Tuesday, hitting GBX 467.50 ($6.06). The stock had a trading volume of 2,271,895 shares. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 67.09. Aviva has a 12 month low of GBX 390.70 ($5.07) and a 12 month high of GBX 510.20 ($6.62). The company has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 488.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 482.57. The firm has a market cap of £12.44 billion, a PE ratio of 1,016.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.89.

Aviva Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th were paid a dividend of GBX 11.90 ($0.15) per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. This represents a yield of 2.44%. Aviva's dividend payout ratio is 7,391.30%.

Insider Transactions at Aviva

In other Aviva news, insider Amanda Blanc acquired 6,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 499 ($6.47) per share, for a total transaction of £31,187.50 ($40,445.47). In related news, insider Amanda Blanc bought 6,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 499 ($6.47) per share, with a total value of £31,187.50 ($40,445.47). Also, insider Pippa Lambert bought 987 shares of Aviva stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 489 ($6.34) per share, for a total transaction of £4,826.43 ($6,259.15). Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Aviva Company Profile

Aviva plc provides various insurance, retirement, investment, and savings products in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and internationally. The company offers life insurance, long-term health and accident insurance, savings, pension, and annuity products, as well as pension fund business and lifetime mortgage products.