Voya Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Voya Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 89.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 672,851 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 317,859 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned about 0.80% of American Financial Group worth $92,134,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 86.8% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the period. Natixis acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in American Financial Group by 91.2% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in American Financial Group by 301.1% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 702 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,059 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $145,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company's stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

AFG traded up $0.86 on Monday, reaching $127.35. The stock had a trading volume of 257,097 shares, compared to its average volume of 372,928. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $125.84 and a 200-day moving average of $132.37. 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 market capitalization of $10.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.05 and a beta of 0.59. 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 released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were given a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group's payout ratio is 30.27%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Financial Group 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 acquired at an average cost of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 57,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,954,717. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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 report on Wednesday, April 9th.

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.