Leuthold Group LLC Sells 177 Shares of Assurant, Inc. (NYSE:AIZ)

Leuthold Group LLC cut its stake in Assurant, Inc. (NYSE:AIZ) by 0.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,639 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 177 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings in Assurant were worth $3,265,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AIZ. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Assurant by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 68,399 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,525,000 after buying an additional 3,829 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in Assurant during the fourth quarter worth $611,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Assurant by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,856 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $987,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in Assurant by 484.7% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 39,615 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 32,840 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Assurant during the 4th quarter worth about $108,253,000. Institutional investors own 92.65% of the company’s stock.

Assurant Price Performance

NYSE:AIZ opened at $193.82 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $182.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $177.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The company has a market cap of $10.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.57. Assurant, Inc. has a one year low of $140.18 and a one year high of $199.50.

Assurant (NYSE:AIZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.58 by $0.50. Assurant had a net margin of 6.90% and a return on equity of 19.63%. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.89 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.89 EPS. Assurant’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Assurant, Inc. will post 16.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Assurant Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. Assurant’s dividend payout ratio is 20.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Assurant from $186.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Assurant from $210.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Assurant from $223.00 to $222.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. StockNews.com raised shares of Assurant from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut Assurant from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $207.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Martin Jenns sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.13, for a total transaction of $267,195.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $717,329.51. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Dimitry Dirienzo sold 550 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.44, for a total transaction of $103,642.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,152 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $593,962.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Martin Jenns sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.13, for a total transaction of $267,195.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,027 shares in the company, valued at $717,329.51. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Assurant Company Profile

Assurant, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides business services that supports, protects, and connects consumer purchases in North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through two segments: Global Lifestyle and Global Housing. The Global Lifestyle segment offers mobile device solutions, and extended service contracts and related services for consumer electronics and appliances, and credit and other insurance products; and vehicle protection, commercial equipment, and other related services.