Nomura Holdings Inc. Takes $1.31 Million Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 9,578 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,312,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 86.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the period. Natixis purchased a new position in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew 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 purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $73,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE AFG traded up $0.45 on Friday, hitting $121.85. 82,771 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 385,858. The business's 50 day moving average price is $126.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $131.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $114.73 and a 52-week high of $150.19. The company has a market capitalization of $10.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.53 and a beta of 0.72.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.17 by ($0.36). The company had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. The company's revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were paid a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.63%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th.

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.