Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 1,113.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,796 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 17,247 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $2,469,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AFG. Natixis purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 91.2% during 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 during the last quarter. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $73,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 97.4% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AFG shares. Wall Street Zen cut American Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of 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.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of American Financial Group stock traded down $2.89 on Wednesday, hitting $123.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 41,771 shares, compared to its average volume of 507,010. The company has a market capitalization of $10.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.00 and a beta of 0.71. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $114.73 and a 1 year high of $150.19. 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 fifty day moving average price of $124.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $127.94.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.17 by ($0.36). American Financial Group had a net margin of 9.66% and a return on equity of 18.34%. The business had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.76 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. American Financial Group's payout ratio is 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.