American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Shares Acquired by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 54.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 97,958 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 34,625 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.12% of American Financial Group worth $13,413,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 10,399 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,424,000 after buying an additional 1,329 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in American Financial Group by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 31,557 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,321,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in American Financial Group by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 4,127 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $565,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Capital Fund Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,176,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,875,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

AFG traded down $1.07 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $128.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 331,029 shares, compared to its average volume of 373,086. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53. The company's fifty day moving average price is $125.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $132.56. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $114.73 and a 52-week high of $150.19. The company has a market capitalization of $10.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.16 and a beta of 0.59.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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, equities analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.49%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.27%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were bought 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 through this hyperlink. Insiders own 17.40% 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.