American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Stock Position Boosted by Gotham Asset Management LLC

Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 12.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 72,836 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,983 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC owned 0.09% of American Financial Group worth $9,973,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 11.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 63,333 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $8,528,000 after acquiring an additional 6,272 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 17.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 49,796 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $6,833,000 after purchasing an additional 7,365 shares during the period. Burney Co. raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Burney Co. now owns 30,090 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,120,000 after purchasing an additional 3,548 shares during the period. Argent Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 31,362 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,294,000 after purchasing an additional 2,787 shares during the period. Finally, Gateway Investment Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 63,164 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $8,649,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares during the period. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFG traded down $2.13 on Wednesday, reaching $122.12. 663,392 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 384,202. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.55 and a beta of 0.72. American Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $114.73 and a fifty-two week high of $150.19. The business's 50-day moving average is $126.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $131.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. The firm's revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.76 EPS. As a group, equities 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 given 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 dividend yield of 2.62%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.61%.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 57,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

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.