Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Makes New Investment in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,721 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $236,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in American Financial Group by 57.1% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 38,623 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,289,000 after acquiring an additional 14,045 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 2.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,789 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in American Financial Group by 78.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 333,078 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $44,832,000 after purchasing an additional 146,237 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in American Financial Group by 17.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 49,796 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,833,000 after purchasing an additional 7,365 shares during the period. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 14.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:AFG opened at $124.55 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.42 billion, a PE ratio of 11.78 and a beta of 0.59. American Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $114.73 and a twelve month high of $150.19. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $125.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $133.01.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced 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 net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. On average, analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.57%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.27%.

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.