JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd Sells 76,892 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd trimmed its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 386,973 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 76,892 shares during the quarter. JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd owned approximately 0.46% of American Financial Group worth $51,076,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AFG. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 11.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 63,333 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $8,528,000 after buying an additional 6,272 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 17.4% in 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 in the last quarter. Burney Co. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 13.4% in 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 in the last quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 9.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 0.6% in 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 in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

American Financial Group Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE AFG traded down $2.18 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $122.07. The company had a trading volume of 77,338 shares, compared to its average volume of 381,278. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $126.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53. The company has a market capitalization of $10.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 0.72. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $114.73 and a 12-month high of $150.19.

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

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th were given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group's payout ratio is presently 33.61%.

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.