Swiss National Bank Lowers Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Swiss National Bank decreased its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 201,500 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 9,500 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.24% of American Financial Group worth $27,591,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 151,771 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $20,782,000 after purchasing an additional 3,911 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 55.2% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 7,837 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,073,000 after buying an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 78.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 333,078 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $44,832,000 after buying an additional 146,237 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 17.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 49,796 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $6,833,000 after buying an additional 7,365 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 31,362 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $4,294,000 after acquiring an additional 2,787 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of AFG traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $125.03. 4,213,594 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 335,844. The stock has a market cap of $10.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $128.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $134.06. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.97 and a 1 year high of $150.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53.

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

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.27%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, 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 accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 14.50% 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.