American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Shares Sold by Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lowered its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 20.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,829 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 7,231 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $3,786,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FMR LLC boosted its position in American Financial Group by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,516,351 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $742,501,000 after purchasing an additional 202,522 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in American Financial Group by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,693,356 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $362,526,000 after purchasing an additional 104,172 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in American Financial Group by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,553,207 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $208,699,000 after acquiring an additional 143,820 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in 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 valued at $136,566,000 after acquiring an additional 207,285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Up 1.8 %

AFG opened at $127.25 on Monday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $118.97 and a one 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. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $129.35 and its 200-day moving average is $134.28. The company has a market capitalization of $10.69 billion, a PE ratio of 12.04 and a beta of 0.79.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $2.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 30.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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.

Insider Buying and Selling

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, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

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.