Head-To-Head Comparison: Aegon (NYSE:AEG) & International General Insurance (NASDAQ:IGIC)

International General Insurance (NASDAQ:IGIC) and Aegon (NYSE:AEG) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, profitability, risk, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Volatility and Risk

International General Insurance has a beta of 0.15, indicating that its share price is 85% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Aegon has a beta of 0.79, indicating that its share price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

54.2% of International General Insurance shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 4.3% of Aegon shares are held by institutional investors. 20.1% of International General Insurance shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

International General Insurance pays an annual dividend of $0.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Aegon pays an annual dividend of $0.38 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.2%. International General Insurance pays out 7.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Aegon pays out -237.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. International General Insurance has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years. Aegon is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares International General Insurance and Aegon”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
International General Insurance	$516.90 million	2.18	$127.20 million	$2.87	8.79
Aegon	$10.29 billion	1.43	$1.11 billion	($0.16)	-45.97

Aegon has higher revenue and earnings than International General Insurance. Aegon is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than International General Insurance, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for International General Insurance and Aegon, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
International General Insurance	0	0	2	0	3.00
Aegon	0	3	3	1	2.71

International General Insurance presently has a consensus price target of $28.00, suggesting a potential upside of 10.94%. Given International General Insurance’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe International General Insurance is more favorable than Aegon.

Profitability

This table compares International General Insurance and Aegon’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
International General Insurance	24.61%	16.98%	5.45%
Aegon	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

International General Insurance beats Aegon on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

About International General Insurance

International General Insurance Holdings Ltd. engages in the provision of specialty insurance and reinsurance solutions worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Specialty Long-tail, Specialty Short-tail, and Reinsurance. It is involved in underwriting a portfolio of specialty risks, including energy, property, construction and engineering, ports and terminals, general aviation, political violence, professional lines, financial institutions, motor, marine liability, contingency, marine, treaty, and casualty insurance and reinsurance. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Amman, Jordan.

About Aegon

Aegon Ltd. provides insurance, pensions, retirement, and asset management services in the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company offers life, accident, property and casualty, and health insurance; annuities, retirement plans, mutual funds, and stable value solutions; residential mortgage and digital baking services; and retail and institutional investment management solutions and retirement savings vehicles and strategies. It offers its products under the Aegon and Transamerica brands. Aegon Ltd. was founded in 1844 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands.