Aegon NV (NYSE:AEG) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Aegon NV (NYSE:AEG) was the target of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 2,237,858 shares, a growth of 41.6% from the February 26th total of 1,580,614 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 6,150,917 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.4 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AEG. Weiss Ratings cut Aegon from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. UBS Group lowered shares of Aegon from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Aegon in a report on Friday, January 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Aegon in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Aegon from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Aegon has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Aegon Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AEG traded up $0.08 on Monday, hitting $6.94. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,690,033 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,773,697. The company has a market capitalization of $13.91 billion, a PE ratio of -43.34, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.06 and a quick ratio of 0.06. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.59. Aegon has a 1 year low of $5.42 and a 1 year high of $8.15.

Aegon Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.2469 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a yield of 671.0%. Aegon’s payout ratio is presently -237.50%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aegon

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Aegon by 321.2% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 4,511 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 3,440 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Aegon in the fourth quarter valued at $106,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new stake in Aegon during the fourth quarter valued at about $174,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in Aegon during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,372,000. Finally, Quantessence Capital LLC bought a new stake in Aegon during the fourth quarter worth about $78,000. Institutional investors own 4.32% of the company’s stock.

Aegon Company Profile

Aegon N.V. is a multinational financial services company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, specializing in life insurance, pensions and asset management. Established in 1983 through the merger of AGO and Ennia, Aegon has built a reputation for offering retirement solutions, savings products and protection plans aimed at helping customers secure their financial futures. The company operates under well-known brands, including Transamerica in the United States, and serves both individual and corporate clients.

Throughout its history, Aegon has pursued strategic acquisitions and partnerships to strengthen its market position and broaden its service offerings.