HighTower Advisors LLC Purchases 1,685 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 14.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,658 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,685 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,870,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,516,351 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $742,501,000 after acquiring an additional 202,522 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in American Financial Group by 4.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,693,356 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $362,526,000 after purchasing an additional 104,172 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 10.2% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,553,207 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $208,699,000 after purchasing an additional 143,820 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 26.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 997,340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $136,566,000 after acquiring an additional 207,285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 607,677 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $83,209,000 after buying an additional 3,580 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 purchase, the director now owns 57,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,954,717. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:AFG opened at $125.03 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $128.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.01. 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 company has a market capitalization of $10.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.79. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.97 and a 12 month high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 EPS 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 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.