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

Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Aegon NV (NYSE:AEG) by 526.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund 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 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Aegon by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,413,607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,886,000 after acquiring an additional 298,679 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Aegon during the fourth quarter valued at $15,397,000. Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Aegon by 27.6% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 1,895,842 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,167,000 after acquiring an additional 409,694 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Aegon by 91.7% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,419,940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,363,000 after acquiring an additional 679,126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in Aegon by 37.8% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,410,756 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,309,000 after acquiring an additional 387,085 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 4.32% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on AEG. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Aegon from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Aegon to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Aegon from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Aegon from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Aegon Stock Performance

Shares of AEG opened at $7.28 on Friday. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $6.93 and a 200-day moving average of $6.48. The company has a market cap of $16.05 billion, a PE ratio of 7.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.91. Aegon NV has a one year low of $5.42 and a one year high of $7.32.

Aegon declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Friday, May 16th that allows the company to repurchase 0 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Aegon Increases Dividend

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

Aegon Profile

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.