American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Shares Bought by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 32.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 242,412 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 59,002 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.29% of American Financial Group worth $33,190,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 11.0% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 63,333 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,528,000 after purchasing an additional 6,272 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 49,796 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,833,000 after buying an additional 7,365 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 171,354 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $23,064,000 after buying an additional 1,714 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its stake in American Financial Group by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 399,177 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $53,729,000 after acquiring an additional 1,563 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 78.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 333,078 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $44,832,000 after acquiring an additional 146,237 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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 report on Wednesday, April 9th.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost 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 $6,954,717. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Trading Down 2.1 %

American Financial Group stock opened at $126.39 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $125.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $132.43. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $114.73 and a 52 week high of $150.19. The stock has a market cap of $10.57 billion, a PE ratio of 11.96 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. Equities research analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.27%.

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.