Short Interest in Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (NYSE:RGA) Rises By 35.7%

Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (NYSE:RGA) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 421,300 shares, a growth of 35.7% from the February 13th total of 310,500 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 504,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.8 days.

Reinsurance Group of America Stock Up 3.2 %

NYSE RGA traded up $5.97 on Friday, reaching $191.98. The company had a trading volume of 418,938 shares, compared to its average volume of 531,419. The company’s fifty day moving average is $209.88 and its 200-day moving average is $214.98. Reinsurance Group of America has a 1-year low of $178.84 and a 1-year high of $233.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.88 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.15.

Reinsurance Group of America (NYSE:RGA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The insurance provider reported $4.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.22 by ($0.23). Reinsurance Group of America had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 14.55%. On average, research analysts forecast that Reinsurance Group of America will post 22.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Reinsurance Group of America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Reinsurance Group of America’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RGA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Reinsurance Group of America from $245.00 to $233.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Reinsurance Group of America in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Reinsurance Group of America from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Reinsurance Group of America from $280.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Reinsurance Group of America from $227.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Reinsurance Group of America presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $231.85.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Reinsurance Group of America

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Spire Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Reinsurance Group of America by 39.0% in the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 203 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its stake in shares of Reinsurance Group of America by 72.2% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 136 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH boosted its holdings in shares of Reinsurance Group of America by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 2,342 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $500,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Reinsurance Group of America by 4.5% in the third quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,485 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mount Lucas Management LP increased its holdings in Reinsurance Group of America by 2.9% during the third quarter. Mount Lucas Management LP now owns 2,592 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $565,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. 95.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Reinsurance Group of America Company Profile

Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated engages in reinsurance business. The company offers individual and group life and health insurance products, such as term life, credit life, universal life, whole life, group life and health, joint and last survivor insurance, critical illness, disability, and longevity products; asset-intensive and financial reinsurance products; and other capital motivated solutions.