Alliancebernstein L.P. Sells 25,235 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Alliancebernstein L.P. lessened its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,068,110 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 25,235 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 1.27% of American Financial Group worth $146,256,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 86.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 91.2% in 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 lifted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 301.1% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 702 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $125,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in American Financial Group by 31.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,059 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $145,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Remove Ads

American Financial Group Trading Down 6.5 %

Shares of NYSE:AFG traded down $8.50 during trading on Friday, reaching $121.78. 510,400 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 362,226. 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 market capitalization of $10.23 billion, a PE ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 0.79. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $127.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.74. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.97 and a 12-month high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 EPS 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group's payout ratio is 30.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 14.50% of the company's stock.

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.