American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) Hits New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $114.90 and last traded at $115.49, with a volume of 32419 shares. The stock had previously closed at $121.81.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on American Financial Group from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday.

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.7 %

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 business's 50 day moving average price is $125.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $132.94. The firm has a market cap of $10.53 billion, a PE ratio of 11.90 and a beta of 0.59.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last posted 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, equities research analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group's payout ratio is 30.27%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was acquired 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 directly owns 57,477 shares of the company's stock, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 14.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Financial Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,287,861 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,134,857,000 after acquiring an additional 99,560 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in American Financial Group by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,595,346 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $218,146,000 after purchasing an additional 42,139 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 207,285 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 996,724 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $136,481,000 after buying an additional 63,193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $122,419,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% 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.