2,875 Shares in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Bought by Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 2,875 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $394,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AFG. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 13,658 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,870,000 after acquiring an additional 1,685 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted 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 period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 0.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised 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 valued at $2,217,000 after purchasing an additional 3,556 shares during the period. Finally, Horan Securities Inc. lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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 reduced their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $144.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were acquired 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 directly owns 57,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

AFG stock opened at $125.03 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $128.72 and a 200-day moving average of $134.01. The firm 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. 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 (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 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, sell-side analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders 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 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.