Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 69.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 43,753 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 98,084 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.05% of American Financial Group worth $5,991,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AFG. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position 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 buying an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 91.2% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in 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 period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Financial Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 31.6% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,059 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $145,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was 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 directly owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at $6,954,717. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 14.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

American Financial Group Price Performance

AFG traded down $8.50 during trading on Friday, hitting $121.78. 510,400 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 363,236. The company has a market cap of $10.23 billion, a PE ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 0.59. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.97 and a 1 year high of $150.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $127.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $133.60.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share (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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given 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 yield of 2.63%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.