American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Stock Position Decreased by Two Sigma Advisers LP

Two Sigma Advisers LP trimmed its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 14.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,600 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 2,900 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP's holdings in American Financial Group were worth $2,273,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 57.1% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 38,623 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $5,289,000 after acquiring an additional 14,045 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 151,771 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $20,782,000 after acquiring an additional 3,911 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 55.2% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 7,837 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,073,000 after acquiring an additional 2,789 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth about $5,127,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in 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 worth $136,566,000 after acquiring an additional 207,285 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of AFG traded up $0.83 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $124.81. 414,031 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 392,988. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $114.73 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $130.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a market cap of $10.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.81 and a beta of 0.72.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.17 by ($0.36). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.74 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.76 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective 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.

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.