Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Makes New $725,000 Investment in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 5,294 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $725,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 158 shares during the period. Natixis acquired a new position in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 91.2% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 301.1% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 702 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 31.6% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,059 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $145,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company's stock.

American Financial Group Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE AFG opened at $122.60 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.60 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53. American Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $114.73 and a one year high of $150.19. The company's 50 day moving average price is $126.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $131.86.

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

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were paid a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.61%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.27%.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $121.00 per share, with a total value 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 represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note 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.

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