Vanguard Group Inc. Grows Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,287,861 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 99,560 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.87% of American Financial Group worth $1,134,857,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 6,846 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $937,000 after buying an additional 533 shares during the period. Simplex Trading LLC acquired a new stake in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $416,000. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $386,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,533,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 121,841 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $16,684,000 after purchasing an additional 13,351 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Financial Group Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of American Financial Group stock traded up $1.41 on Monday, reaching $131.45. 770,266 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 358,444. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.97 and a 52 week high of $150.19. The firm's 50-day moving average is $128.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.80. The company has a market capitalization of $11.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.44 and a beta of 0.79.

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

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is 30.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Transactions 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 dated 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 14.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.