Capital Fund Management S.A. Purchases New Shares in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Capital Fund Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 15,892 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,176,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AFG. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $2,875,000. APG Asset Management N.V. purchased a new position in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,144,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth about $5,025,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake 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 valued at $136,481,000 after buying an additional 63,193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Unigestion Holding SA bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $575,000. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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 trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 17.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of AFG traded up $0.64 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $128.03. 431,047 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 372,937. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $114.73 and a 12 month 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 has a market cap of $10.71 billion, a PE ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 0.59. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $125.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $132.70.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. Equities analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

American Financial Group Company 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.