Schroder Investment Management Group Raises Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 57,866 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,749 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group owned about 0.07% of American Financial Group worth $7,872,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in American Financial Group by 57.1% during the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 38,623 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $5,289,000 after acquiring an additional 14,045 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its holdings in 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 valued at $20,782,000 after purchasing an additional 3,911 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its position in American Financial Group by 55.2% in the 4th 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 stake in 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 purchasing an additional 146,237 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position 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 period. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at $6,954,717. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFG opened at $121.78 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $127.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.64. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $118.97 and a one year high of $150.19. The firm has a market cap of $10.23 billion, a PE ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 0.79.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.27%.

American Financial Group 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.