Bessemer Group Inc. Acquires 3,635 Shares of Aegon NV (NYSE:AEG)

Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Aegon NV (NYSE:AEG) by 526.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,325 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,635 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in Aegon were worth $29,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Aegon by 1,136.2% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,846 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 4,454 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Aegon by 70.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 9,184 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 3,802 shares in the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Aegon during the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. Advisor Resource Council bought a new position in shares of Aegon during the 1st quarter worth approximately $66,000. Finally, Simon Quick Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Aegon during the 1st quarter worth approximately $69,000. Institutional investors own 4.32% of the company’s stock.

Aegon Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of AEG stock opened at $7.28 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $6.93 and a 200-day moving average of $6.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Aegon NV has a 12-month low of $5.42 and a 12-month high of $7.32. The firm has a market cap of $16.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.58, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.91.

Aegon announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Friday, May 16th that authorizes the company to buyback 0 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Aegon Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.1992 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a dividend yield of 5.3%. This is a positive change from Aegon’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. Aegon’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Aegon from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Aegon from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Aegon to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Aegon from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Aegon presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

About Aegon

Aegon Ltd. provides insurance, pensions, retirement, and asset management services in the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company offers life, accident, property and casualty, and health insurance; annuities, retirement plans, mutual funds, and stable value solutions; residential mortgage and digital baking services; and retail and institutional investment management solutions and retirement savings vehicles and strategies.