Bridges Investment Management Inc. Grows Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Bridges Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 42.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 100,595 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 30,204 shares during the quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of American Financial Group worth $13,212,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in American Financial Group by 144.3% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 215 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Natixis acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $53,000. 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth $73,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $125.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 21st.

American Financial Group Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE AFG traded up $1.94 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $128.16. 158,552 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 416,447. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.45 and a beta of 0.71. The company's 50-day moving average is $124.54 and its 200-day moving average is $127.55. 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 quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.17 by ($0.36). The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion for 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 company's quarterly revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.76 earnings per share. Analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 15th. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.