American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Position Raised by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,287,861 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 99,560 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.87% of American Financial Group worth $1,134,857,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in American Financial Group by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 5,798 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $794,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Horan Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Horan Securities Inc. now owns 2,595 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $355,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 2,648 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $363,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,226 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 12,040 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,649,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 14.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

American Financial Group Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of AFG opened at $130.10 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $128.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $133.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.31 and a beta of 0.79. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $118.97 and a 1-year high of $150.19.

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 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%. Analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $2.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 30.27%.

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.