New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 200 Shares of American Equity Investment Life Holding (NYSE:AEL)

New York State Teachers Retirement System cut its stake in American Equity Investment Life Holding (NYSE:AEL) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 45,133 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in American Equity Investment Life were worth $2,518,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. bought a new stake in American Equity Investment Life in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Equity Investment Life during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of American Equity Investment Life during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of American Equity Investment Life during the 1st quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of American Equity Investment Life by 38.9% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 610 shares during the period. 94.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Equity Investment Life Trading Up 0.0 %

AEL opened at $55.12 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.38 billion, a PE ratio of 25.76 and a beta of 0.80. American Equity Investment Life Holding has a 1-year low of $36.63 and a 1-year high of $56.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $55.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.04.

American Equity Investment Life (NYSE:AEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.24. American Equity Investment Life had a net margin of 7.42% and a return on equity of 25.15%. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $673.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.64 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 61.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American Equity Investment Life Holding will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Equity Investment Life Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.38 per share. This is a boost from American Equity Investment Life’s previous annual dividend of $0.02. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 12th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.68%. American Equity Investment Life’s payout ratio is currently 17.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on AEL shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of American Equity Investment Life from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of American Equity Investment Life in a research report on Monday, March 11th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.50.

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.