JPMorgan Chase & Co. Reduces Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 26.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 244,554 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 88,524 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.29% of American Financial Group worth $33,487,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AFG. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,287,861 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,134,857,000 after purchasing an additional 99,560 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in American Financial Group by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,693,356 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $362,526,000 after buying an additional 104,172 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,553,207 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $208,699,000 after buying an additional 143,820 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in American Financial Group by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 997,340 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $136,566,000 after buying an additional 207,285 shares during the period. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its stake in American Financial Group by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 607,677 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $83,209,000 after acquiring an additional 3,580 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 14.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday.

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE AFG traded up $0.88 during trading on Friday, reaching $125.82. 553,917 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 370,593. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $114.73 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market cap of $10.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.90 and a beta of 0.59. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $125.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $132.94.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.27%.

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.