4,831 Shares in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Acquired by Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased 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 & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,831 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $662,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in American Financial Group by 86.8% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Natixis purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 91.2% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 301.1% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 702 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nicolet Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at $212,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In related news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 57,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

American Financial Group Stock Performance

AFG traded down $2.13 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $122.12. 663,392 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 383,524. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.53. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $114.73 and a 1 year high of $150.19. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $126.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $131.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.55 and a beta of 0.72.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.76 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were paid a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.62%. American Financial Group's payout ratio is 33.61%.

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.