Boston Trust Walden Corp Acquires 40,822 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 8.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 503,221 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 40,822 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned approximately 0.60% of American Financial Group worth $66,093,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 12,040 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,649,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 301.1% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 702 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 17,600 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,410,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 262,014 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $35,878,000 after buying an additional 18,938 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth $2,661,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE AFG traded up $1.11 on Friday, hitting $123.80. 703,172 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 409,339. The company has a market capitalization of $10.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.00 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The business's 50 day moving average price is $125.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $128.71. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $114.73 and a 52-week high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last released 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). 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 9.66% and a return on equity of 18.34%. American Financial Group's revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.76 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.58%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 33.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on AFG shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Financial Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $138.75.

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.