Simplex Trading LLC Makes New Investment in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Simplex Trading LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,040 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $416,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 4.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,693,356 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $362,526,000 after purchasing an additional 104,172 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in American Financial Group by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,553,207 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $208,699,000 after acquiring an additional 143,820 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 26.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 997,340 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $136,566,000 after acquiring an additional 207,285 shares in the last quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 607,677 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $83,209,000 after acquiring an additional 3,580 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bahl & Gaynor Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 585,751 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $80,207,000 after purchasing an additional 34,539 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Financial Group Trading Down 6.5 %

Shares of American Financial Group stock traded down $8.50 on Friday, reaching $121.78. The company had a trading volume of 510,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 363,236. The firm has a market cap of $10.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 0.59. 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's 50-day moving average price is $127.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $133.60. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.97 and a 1 year high of $150.19.

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 return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. As a group, research analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group's payout ratio is currently 30.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.