Assurant, Inc. (NYSE:AIZ) Shares Sold by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. trimmed its holdings in Assurant, Inc. (NYSE:AIZ) by 4.2% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,488 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 152 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Assurant were worth $580,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Assurant in the second quarter worth $31,000. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new position in Assurant during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Assurant during the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Assurant during the 2nd quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Assurant by 40.1% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 353 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. 92.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AIZ shares. Piper Sandler cut Assurant from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Assurant from $186.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Assurant from $223.00 to $222.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Assurant from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Assurant from $210.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $207.60.

Assurant Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of Assurant stock opened at $196.35 on Monday. Assurant, Inc. has a 12-month low of $136.88 and a 12-month high of $197.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.21 billion, a PE ratio of 13.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $175.21 and its 200-day moving average is $175.67.

Assurant (NYSE:AIZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $4.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.58 by $0.50. Assurant had a return on equity of 19.63% and a net margin of 6.90%. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.89 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Assurant, Inc. will post 16.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Assurant Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.47%. Assurant’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.