Nomura Holdings Inc. Invests $1.31 Million in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 9,578 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,312,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AFG. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $122,419,000. Voya Investment Management LLC grew its stake in American Financial Group by 89.5% in the fourth quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 672,851 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $92,134,000 after purchasing an additional 317,859 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in American Financial Group by 35.8% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 802,069 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $109,827,000 after purchasing an additional 211,630 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in American Financial Group by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 997,340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $136,566,000 after purchasing an additional 207,285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in American Financial Group by 27.7% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 684,178 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $93,684,000 after purchasing an additional 148,259 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on American Financial Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th.

American Financial Group Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $126.66 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.60 billion, a PE ratio of 11.98 and a beta of 0.72. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $126.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.58. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $114.73 and a 12-month high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.17 by ($0.36). American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. The company had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.76 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.61%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the purchase, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

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.