Ethic Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Ethic Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 67.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,696 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 3,497 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,191,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $725,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 117.7% during the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,379 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 1,286 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 83.2% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 229,348 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $31,405,000 after purchasing an additional 104,170 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in American Financial Group by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 189,379 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $25,932,000 after purchasing an additional 70,218 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $662,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company's stock.

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.2%

AFG stock traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $126.85. 28,435 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 383,648. 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $131.60. American Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $114.73 and a twelve month high of $150.19. The company has a market capitalization of $10.61 billion, a PE ratio of 12.00 and a beta of 0.72.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.17 by ($0.36). The company had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.74 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. The company's revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.76 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th were given a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at $6,954,717. This represents a 5.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

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.