Aegon (NYSE:AEG) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Strong-Buy Rating

Aegon (NYSE:AEG) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Separately, Berenberg Bank raised Aegon to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have issued a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aegon presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Aegon Stock Performance

AEG opened at $7.75 on Friday. Aegon has a 12-month low of $5.42 and a 12-month high of $8.10. The stock has a market cap of $15.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.07, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a 50 day moving average of $7.39 and a 200-day moving average of $6.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Aegon announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Friday, May 16th that permits the company to buyback 0 shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Aegon

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Aegon by 104.5% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 21,006,803 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $152,089,000 after acquiring an additional 10,732,972 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Aegon by 306.1% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,169,541 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,667,000 after acquiring an additional 4,650,272 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Aegon by 2,348.0% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,482,943 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,200,000 after acquiring an additional 3,340,666 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Aegon by 1,073.4% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,623,496 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,754,000 after acquiring an additional 1,485,135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in Aegon in the 2nd quarter valued at $8,022,000. 4.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.