Yousif Capital Management LLC Increases Holdings in American Equity Investment Life Holding (NYSE:AEL)

Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Equity Investment Life Holding (NYSE:AEL) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in American Equity Investment Life were worth $1,737,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in American Equity Investment Life by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 551 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in American Equity Investment Life in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in American Equity Investment Life by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 27,314 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,465,000 after purchasing an additional 966 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC increased its stake in American Equity Investment Life by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 118,309 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,346,000 after purchasing an additional 1,175 shares during the period. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in American Equity Investment Life by 12.1% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 10,888 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $584,000 after purchasing an additional 1,176 shares during the period. 94.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on American Equity Investment Life in a research note on Monday, March 11th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on American Equity Investment Life from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, American Equity Investment Life presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $52.50.

American Equity Investment Life Price Performance

AEL opened at $56.17 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.34. American Equity Investment Life Holding has a 52-week low of $37.54 and a 52-week high of $56.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.46 billion, a PE ratio of 26.25 and a beta of 0.80. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $55.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $55.24.

American Equity Investment Life (NYSE:AEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $673.53 million. American Equity Investment Life had a return on equity of 25.15% and a net margin of 7.42%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 61.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.64 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Equity Investment Life Holding will post 7.11 EPS for the current year.

American Equity Investment Life Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 15th were paid a $0.38 dividend. This is a boost from American Equity Investment Life’s previous annual dividend of $0.02. This represents a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 12th. American Equity Investment Life’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.76%.

American Equity Investment Life Profile

American Equity Investment Life Holding Company, through its subsidiaries, provides life insurance products in the United States. The company issues fixed index and rate annuities, as well as single premium immediate annuities. It markets its products through independent agents, including independent marketing organizations, broker/dealers, banks, and registered investment advisors.