Aegon (NYSE:AEG) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Aegon NV (NYSE:AEG) shares gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $7.80, but opened at $7.37. Aegon shares last traded at $7.2750, with a volume of 2,101,937 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AEG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Aegon in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Zacks Research cut Aegon from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Aegon from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Aegon in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, UBS Group lowered Aegon from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aegon presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Aegon Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $14.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -45.72, a PEG ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 0.79. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aegon

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. 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 buying an additional 10,732,972 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Aegon by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,839,732 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $83,576,000 after acquiring an additional 970,534 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased 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 purchasing an additional 4,650,272 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in Aegon by 2,348.0% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,482,943 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,200,000 after purchasing an additional 3,340,666 shares during the period. Finally, UBS Group AG lifted its stake in Aegon by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,546,698 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,635,000 after purchasing an additional 494,065 shares in the last quarter. 4.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Aegon

Aegon N.V. is a multinational financial services company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, specializing in life insurance, pensions and asset management. Established in 1983 through the merger of AGO and Ennia, Aegon has built a reputation for offering retirement solutions, savings products and protection plans aimed at helping customers secure their financial futures. The company operates under well-known brands, including Transamerica in the United States, and serves both individual and corporate clients.

Throughout its history, Aegon has pursued strategic acquisitions and partnerships to strengthen its market position and broaden its service offerings.