Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lessened its stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 65.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,166 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 6,127 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.'s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 57.1% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 38,623 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $5,289,000 after purchasing an additional 14,045 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in American Financial Group by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 151,771 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $20,782,000 after buying an additional 3,911 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in American Financial Group by 55.2% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 7,837 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,073,000 after buying an additional 2,789 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $5,127,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 207,285 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on American Financial Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 purchased at an average price of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 17.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFG traded down $2.81 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $122.91. 365,751 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 385,100. The company has a market cap of $10.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.63 and a beta of 0.72. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $114.73 and a 1 year high of $150.19. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $126.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $131.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. The company 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 company posted $2.76 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.60%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 33.61%.

About American Financial Group

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.