Ambac Financial Group (NYSE:AMBC) Downgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Ambac Financial Group (NYSE:AMBC) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday.

Separately, Compass Point increased their target price on shares of Ambac Financial Group from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th.

Ambac Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE AMBC opened at $10.98 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $496.57 million, a PE ratio of 8.38 and a beta of 1.24. Ambac Financial Group has a 1-year low of $10.12 and a 1-year high of $18.45. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.42, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Ambac Financial Group (NYSE:AMBC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by ($0.01). Ambac Financial Group had a net margin of 18.09% and a return on equity of 10.69%. The company had revenue of $105.00 million for the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.07 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Ambac Financial Group will post 1.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ambac Financial Group

In other Ambac Financial Group news, CFO David Trick purchased 3,700 shares of Ambac Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $10.76 per share, for a total transaction of $39,812.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 156,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,679,442.32. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Ambac Financial Group news, Director Jeffrey Scott Stein bought 25,000 shares of Ambac Financial Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $10.82 per share, for a total transaction of $270,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 35,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $378,700. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO David Trick bought 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $10.76 per share, with a total value of $39,812.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 156,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,679,442.32. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired 34,800 shares of company stock worth $377,016 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 5.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in Ambac Financial Group by 397.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 345,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,432,000 after buying an additional 276,210 shares during the period. Gendell Jeffrey L increased its position in shares of Ambac Financial Group by 118.0% during the first quarter. Gendell Jeffrey L now owns 434,313 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,788,000 after acquiring an additional 235,058 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ambac Financial Group by 19.0% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 797,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,219,000 after acquiring an additional 127,145 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Ambac Financial Group by 3.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,952,961 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,857,000 after purchasing an additional 87,077 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its stake in Ambac Financial Group by 395.6% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 105,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,352,000 after purchasing an additional 84,164 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.49% of the company’s stock.

Ambac Financial Group Company Profile

Ambac Financial Group, Inc operates as a financial services holding company. It operates three businesses: Specialty Property and Casualty Insurance, Insurance Distribution, and Legacy Financial Guarantee (LFG) Insurance. The Specialty Property and Casualty Insurance business provides specialty property and casualty program insurance with a focus commercial and personal liability risks.