Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Increases Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 9.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 41,175 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,720 shares during the quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $5,638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 151,771 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $20,782,000 after purchasing an additional 3,911 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings 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 during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 78.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 333,078 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $44,832,000 after acquiring an additional 146,237 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 17.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 49,796 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,833,000 after acquiring an additional 7,365 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 31,362 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,294,000 after acquiring an additional 2,787 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $164.00 to $144.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th.

American Financial Group Stock Down 0.1 %

AFG stock opened at $125.15 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $10.51 billion, a PE ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 0.79. American Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.97 and a twelve month high of $150.19. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $128.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $134.06.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. On average, equities analysts predict 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 special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 30.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 14.50% 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.