Xponance Inc. Purchases 726 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Xponance Inc. increased its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,802 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 726 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,616,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in American Financial Group by 86.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 91.2% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 301.1% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 702 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the third quarter valued at $125,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the third quarter valued at $130,000. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

American Financial Group stock opened at $125.03 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $128.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.97 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.79.

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

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 30.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 14.50% 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.