Retirement Systems of Alabama Cuts Stock Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Retirement Systems of Alabama decreased its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 2.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 167,401 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 4,063 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned about 0.20% of American Financial Group worth $21,986,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Horan Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Horan Securities Inc. now owns 2,595 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $355,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in American Financial Group by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 2,648 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in American Financial Group by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 4,127 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $565,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Utah Retirement Systems lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 11,917 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,632,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 12,040 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,649,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Financial Group Price Performance

AFG stock traded down $3.49 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $122.64. 489,801 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 410,936. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $10.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.88 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 fifty day moving average price of $124.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $128.42.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.17 by ($0.36). The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.76 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were given 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 dividend yield of 2.61%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $138.75.

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.