Legal & General Group Plc Sells 99,802 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Legal & General Group Plc lowered its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 29.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 241,771 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 99,802 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.29% of American Financial Group worth $33,106,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AFG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $122,419,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position 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 worth $136,566,000 after purchasing an additional 207,285 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 78.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 333,078 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $44,832,000 after purchasing an additional 146,237 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,553,207 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $208,699,000 after purchasing an additional 143,820 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,287,861 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,134,857,000 after buying an additional 99,560 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 acquisition, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 17.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.5 %

American Financial Group stock traded up $0.64 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $128.03. The stock had a trading volume of 431,047 shares, compared to its average volume of 372,222. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $125.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $132.75. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $114.73 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. The company has a market capitalization of $10.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 0.59.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group's payout ratio is presently 30.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th.

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.