American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Shares Bought by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 199,181 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 9,304 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned about 0.24% of American Financial Group worth $27,274,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in American Financial Group by 17.0% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,365 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $722,000 after acquiring an additional 781 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 9.5% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 4,128 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $556,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $874,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $243,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 25.4% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 36,119 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $4,862,000 after purchasing an additional 7,322 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company's stock.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFG traded up $0.11 on Tuesday, reaching $117.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 543,070 shares, compared to its average volume of 366,376. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $114.90 and a 52-week high of $150.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.07 and a beta of 0.59. The stock's 50-day moving average is $126.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

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 net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a $0.80 dividend. 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 2.73%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 57,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 14.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.