Cerity Partners LLC Has $453,000 Stock Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Cerity Partners LLC reduced its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 37.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,332 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 2,033 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in American Financial Group were worth $453,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Unigestion Holding SA bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at $575,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 51.1% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 4,596 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $629,000 after acquiring an additional 1,554 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 59,029 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $8,075,000 after purchasing an additional 449 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 53,834 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $7,372,000 after purchasing an additional 2,474 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at $2,798,000. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut 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, April 9th.

American Financial Group Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE:AFG traded down $1.07 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $128.48. 331,029 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 373,412. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $125.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $132.56. The firm has a market cap of $10.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.16 and a beta of 0.59. American Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $114.73 and a fifty-two week 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.

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 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 research analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group's payout ratio is presently 30.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 17.40% 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.