American Financial Group Inc. 401 K Retirement & Savings Plan Boosts Stock Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Key Points

• American Financial Group Inc. 401 K Retirement & Savings Plan increased its stake in American Financial Group, Inc. by 0.9% during the first quarter, owning approximately 3.13% of the company valued at $343.7 million.
• Research analysts have mixed views on the stock, with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raising its target price to $127.00 while Wall Street Zen downgraded it to a "sell" rating.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.80, which represents an annualized dividend yield of 2.58%.

American Financial Group Inc. 401 K Retirement & Savings Plan raised its holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 0.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,616,928 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 23,228 shares during the period. American Financial Group accounts for about 100.0% of American Financial Group Inc. 401 K Retirement & Savings Plan's holdings, making the stock its biggest position. American Financial Group Inc. 401 K Retirement & Savings Plan owned 3.13% of American Financial Group worth $343,707,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in American Financial Group by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,595,346 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $218,146,000 after acquiring an additional 42,139 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 996,724 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $136,481,000 after purchasing an additional 63,193 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 35.8% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 802,069 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $109,827,000 after buying an additional 211,630 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 27.7% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 684,178 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $93,684,000 after buying an additional 148,259 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC grew its position in American Financial Group by 89.5% during the fourth quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 672,851 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $92,134,000 after buying an additional 317,859 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on AFG. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $125.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFG traded up $0.82 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $123.24. 168,466 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 504,067. The company has a market capitalization of $10.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $114.73 and a 52-week high of $150.19. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $125.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $126.38.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.17 by ($0.36). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 18.34% and a net margin of 9.66%. The business had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.76 EPS. American Financial Group's revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 15th were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 15th. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.61%.

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.