24,385 Shares in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Acquired by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 24,385 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,339,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in American Financial Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,287,861 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,134,857,000 after acquiring an additional 99,560 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,595,346 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $218,146,000 after buying an additional 42,139 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 26.2% during 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 buying an additional 207,285 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in American Financial Group by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 996,724 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $136,481,000 after buying an additional 63,193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $122,419,000. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFG traded down $0.46 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $126.20. 154,921 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 372,427. The company has a market cap of $10.56 billion, a PE ratio of 11.94 and a beta of 0.59. American Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $114.73 and a twelve month high of $150.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $126.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $132.24.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group's payout ratio is presently 30.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th.

American Financial Group Company 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.