American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Shares Bought by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 12.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 121,841 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,351 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $16,684,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 86.8% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 91.2% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 301.1% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 702 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $125,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 31.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,059 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $145,000 after buying an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $131.45 on Tuesday. 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 $11.04 billion, a PE ratio of 12.44 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $127.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $133.79. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.97 and a 12 month high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its earnings results 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a $2.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 30.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $164.00 to $144.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In related news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 14.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.