Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Cuts Position in Aegon NV (NYSE:AEG)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC reduced its position in shares of Aegon NV (NYSE:AEG) by 20.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,161 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Aegon were worth $71,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Aegon by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 145,663 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $858,000 after buying an additional 1,779 shares in the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its stake in Aegon by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 17,757 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $105,000 after buying an additional 2,142 shares in the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its stake in Aegon by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 20,015 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $118,000 after buying an additional 2,170 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Aegon by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 76,168 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $449,000 after buying an additional 2,241 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in Aegon by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 37,744 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $222,000 after buying an additional 2,275 shares in the last quarter. 4.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aegon Price Performance

AEG stock opened at $6.71 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.06 and a quick ratio of 0.06. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.78 billion, a PE ratio of 6.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.25 and a beta of 0.92. Aegon NV has a 1 year low of $5.42 and a 1 year high of $7.32.

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 given a $0.1992 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. This is a positive change from Aegon’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. This represents a dividend yield of 5.3%. Aegon’s dividend payout ratio is 35.42%.

Aegon announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Friday, May 16th that authorizes the company to repurchase 0 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEG has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Aegon from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Aegon from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded Aegon from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Berenberg Bank upgraded Aegon to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aegon 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.