iSAM Funds UK Ltd Purchases New Shares in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 7,199 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $986,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 57.1% during 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 in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 2.6% during 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 purchasing an additional 3,911 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 55.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 2,789 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $5,127,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased 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 valued at $136,566,000 after buying an additional 207,285 shares during the period. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE AFG opened at $127.12 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $126.23 and a 200-day moving average of $131.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.03 and a beta of 0.72. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $114.73 and a 52 week high of $150.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last released its 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). American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.76 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 33.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

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.

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