By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Simplex Trading LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG – Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,040 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $416,000.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 86.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 91.2% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in American Financial Group by 301.1% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 702 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in American Financial Group in the third quarter valued at about $125,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in American Financial Group by 31.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,059 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $145,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $164.00 to $144.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th.
Get Our Latest Analysis on American Financial Group
American Financial Group Stock Up 0.6 %
Shares of NYSE:AFG opened at $132.19 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $127.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $133.77. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.97 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The firm has a market cap of $11.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.
American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. Analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.
American Financial Group Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 30.27%.
Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group
In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at $6,954,717. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.
American Financial Group Company Profile
American Financial Group, Inc, an insurance holding company, provides specialty property and casualty insurance products in the United States. The company offers property and transportation insurance products, such as physical damage and liability coverage for buses and trucks, inland and ocean marine, agricultural-related products, and other commercial property and specialty transportation coverages; specialty casualty insurance, including primarily excess and surplus, executive and professional liability, general liability, umbrella and excess liability, and specialty coverage in targeted markets, as well as customized programs for small to mid-sized businesses and workers’ compensation insurance; and specialty financial insurance products comprising risk management insurance programs for lending and leasing institutions, fidelity and surety products, and trade credit insurance.
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