American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Short Interest Up 16.7% in February

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 1,260,000 shares, a growth of 16.7% from the February 13th total of 1,080,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 420,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days. Approximately 1.8% of the company's stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 14.50% of the company's stock.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AFG. Norges Bank bought a new position in American Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $122,419,000. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 89.5% in the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 672,851 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $92,134,000 after acquiring an additional 317,859 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 802,069 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $109,827,000 after acquiring an additional 211,630 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 997,340 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $136,566,000 after acquiring an additional 207,285 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,516,351 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $742,501,000 after purchasing an additional 202,522 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of AFG stock traded down $0.16 on Friday, reaching $125.03. The stock had a trading volume of 4,213,594 shares, compared to its average volume of 332,931. 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's 50-day moving average is $128.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $134.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.79. American Financial Group 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 results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, research analysts expect that American Financial Group will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $2.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.