Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Buys 1,647 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted 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 SEC. The firm owned 16,907 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring 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 filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 86.8% in 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 increased its position in American Financial Group by 91.2% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 301.1% in 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. purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $125,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $130,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 acquisition, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 14.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American Financial Group Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of AFG stock opened at $127.87 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.10 and a beta of 0.79. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $128.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $133.84. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.97 and a 1 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $2.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.27%.

About American Financial Group

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.