LSV Asset Management Has $87.72 Million Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

LSV Asset Management cut its holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 14.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 640,624 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 107,812 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management owned approximately 0.76% of American Financial Group worth $87,721,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AFG. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $122,419,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 997,340 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $136,566,000 after purchasing an additional 207,285 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 78.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 333,078 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $44,832,000 after purchasing an additional 146,237 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in American Financial Group by 10.2% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,553,207 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $208,699,000 after purchasing an additional 143,820 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in American Financial Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,287,861 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,134,857,000 after buying an additional 99,560 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 57,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

American Financial Group Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of AFG traded up $1.61 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $128.65. The stock had a trading volume of 95,821 shares, compared to its average volume of 370,546. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $125.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $132.83. 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 company has a market cap of $10.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.17 and a beta of 0.59. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $114.73 and a 1-year high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be issued 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio 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.