Tredje AP fonden Has $770,000 Stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Tredje AP fonden lowered its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 50.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,623 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 5,623 shares during the quarter. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $770,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 997,340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $136,566,000 after purchasing an additional 207,285 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position in American Financial Group by 3.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,516,351 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $742,501,000 after buying an additional 202,522 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in American Financial Group by 78.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 333,078 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $44,832,000 after buying an additional 146,237 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 10.2% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,553,207 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $208,699,000 after buying an additional 143,820 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,693,356 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $362,526,000 after acquiring an additional 104,172 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of AFG stock opened at $127.25 on Friday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.97 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $129.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $134.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a market capitalization of $10.69 billion, a PE ratio of 12.04 and a beta of 0.79.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share (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%. As a group, analysts predict 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 declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $2.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 14.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American Financial Group Company 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.