American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Shares Acquired by Achmea Investment Management B.V.

Achmea Investment Management B.V. increased its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,377 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 449 shares during the period. Achmea Investment Management B.V.’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $873,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AFG. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in American Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $394,000. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in American Financial Group by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 13,658 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,870,000 after purchasing an additional 1,685 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its position in American Financial Group by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 2,015 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in American Financial Group by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 570,342 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $78,097,000 after purchasing an additional 1,680 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 28.1% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 16,193 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,217,000 after acquiring an additional 3,556 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of AFG stock opened at $127.25 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.69 billion, a PE ratio of 12.04 and a beta of 0.79. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $129.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick 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.

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

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders 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 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 American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at $6,954,717. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 14.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

American Financial Group 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.