American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Stock Position Lowered by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Bank of New York Mellon Corp trimmed its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 1.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 983,784 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 13,556 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned about 1.18% of American Financial Group worth $129,210,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. Sowell Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $282,000. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 57.1% in the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 38,623 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $5,289,000 after buying an additional 14,045 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 10.5% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,427 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $713,000 after buying an additional 514 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,014,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 31.4% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,389 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,102,000 after buying an additional 2,006 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on American Financial Group from $125.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut American Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 21st.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of AFG traded up $0.67 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $126.36. 564,831 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 416,560. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $124.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $127.55. 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 fifty-two week low of $114.73 and a fifty-two week high of $150.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.57 billion, a PE ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 0.71.

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

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th will be given a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. American Financial Group's payout ratio is 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.