Cibc World Markets Corp Sells 927 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Cibc World Markets Corp decreased its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 22.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,227 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 927 shares during the quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $442,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 86.8% during the 4th 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 boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 91.2% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 301.1% during 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 during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $130,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of AFG stock opened at $125.03 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.79. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $128.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $134.01. American Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $118.97 and a one year high of $150.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $2.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 30.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 14.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.