Short Interest in American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG) Increases By 23.3%

American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 16,230,000 shares, an increase of 23.3% from the February 28th total of 13,160,000 shares. Approximately 2.8% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 4,770,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.4 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. HSBC raised shares of American International Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $93.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on American International Group from $76.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on American International Group to $91.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group dropped their price target on American International Group from $88.00 to $86.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of American International Group from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $87.12.

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American International Group Stock Down 8.5 %

Shares of AIG stock traded down $7.37 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $78.83. 6,406,160 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,398,036. American International Group has a 12-month low of $69.00 and a 12-month high of $88.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market cap of $46.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -37.90, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.63. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $79.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.30.

American International Group (NYSE:AIG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.33 by ($0.03). American International Group had a positive return on equity of 8.01% and a negative net margin of 4.25%. On average, analysts expect that American International Group will post 6.24 EPS for the current year.

American International Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. American International Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -76.92%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John G. Rice purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $77.00 per share, for a total transaction of $770,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $770,000. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American International Group

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AIG. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in American International Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of American International Group during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American International Group in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of American International Group in the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in American International Group during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. 90.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American International Group Company Profile

American International Group, Inc offers insurance products for commercial, institutional, and individual customers in North America and internationally. It operates through three segments: General Insurance, Life and Retirement, and Other Operations. The General Insurance segment provides commercial and industrial property insurance, including business interruption and package insurance that cover exposure to made and natural disasters; general liability, environmental, commercial automobile liability, workers' compensation, excess casualty, and crisis management insurance products; and professional liability insurance.