Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Has $12.77 Million Holdings in Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC cut its stake in Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 141,876 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,410 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.28% of Assured Guaranty worth $12,770,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Assured Guaranty in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in Assured Guaranty in the third quarter valued at $38,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Assured Guaranty by 46.3% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 471 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Assured Guaranty by 100.6% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 684 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the period. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Assured Guaranty in the fourth quarter worth approximately $97,000. 92.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Assured Guaranty Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AGO opened at $88.01 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $89.77 and its 200-day moving average is $87.97. Assured Guaranty Ltd. has a twelve month low of $72.57 and a twelve month high of $96.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.84 and a beta of 1.11.

Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $199.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $199.56 million. Assured Guaranty had a return on equity of 11.58% and a net margin of 70.37%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Assured Guaranty Ltd. will post 7.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Assured Guaranty Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. This is a positive change from Assured Guaranty’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Assured Guaranty’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.94%.

About Assured Guaranty

Assured Guaranty Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides credit protection products to public finance, infrastructure, and structured finance markets in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Insurance and Asset Management. The company offers financial guaranty insurance that protects holders of debt instruments and other monetary obligations from defaults in scheduled payments.