Assurant, Inc. (NYSE:AIZ) Shares Acquired by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Assurant, Inc. (NYSE:AIZ) by 28.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 845 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Assurant were worth $168,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its holdings in shares of Assurant by 11,480.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 464,952 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $92,460,000 after purchasing an additional 460,937 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Assurant in the third quarter valued at approximately $48,430,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Assurant during the third quarter valued at approximately $284,730,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Assurant during the third quarter worth approximately $26,630,000. Finally, FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Assurant by 6.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,163,593 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $231,392,000 after acquiring an additional 65,874 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.65% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Biju Nair sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.18, for a total value of $627,540.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,658 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,321,240.44. This trade represents a 12.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AIZ has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Assurant from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Bank of America upped their target price on Assurant from $228.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Assurant in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $251.00 target price on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Assurant from $194.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Assurant from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $229.50.

Assurant Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE:AIZ opened at $212.58 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.42. The company has a market capitalization of $10.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.16 and a beta of 0.62. Assurant, Inc. has a one year low of $160.12 and a one year high of $230.55. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $214.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $200.62.

Assurant (NYSE:AIZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $3.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.48. Assurant had a return on equity of 17.42% and a net margin of 6.31%. The business had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.29 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Assurant, Inc. will post 15.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Assurant Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. Assurant’s payout ratio is 22.82%.

About Assurant

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.