Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Raises Stock Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 10.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,907 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,647 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $2,315,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AFG. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 151,771 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $20,782,000 after buying an additional 3,911 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its position in American Financial Group by 55.2% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 7,837 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,073,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 78.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 333,078 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $44,832,000 after purchasing an additional 146,237 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 17.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 49,796 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,833,000 after purchasing an additional 7,365 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 31,362 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,294,000 after purchasing an additional 2,787 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

American Financial Group Stock Performance

American Financial Group stock opened at $127.87 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $128.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $133.84. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.97 and a twelve month high of $150.19. The company has a market capitalization of $10.74 billion, a PE ratio of 12.10 and a beta of 0.79.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. Research analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.27%.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was 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 approximately $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company 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.