Unigestion Holding SA Buys Shares of 4,200 American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Unigestion Holding SA purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,200 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $575,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $5,289,000 after acquiring an additional 14,045 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 2.6% during the fourth 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 boosted its stake 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 valued at $1,073,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 78.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 333,078 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $44,832,000 after purchasing an additional 146,237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in American Financial Group by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 49,796 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,833,000 after buying an additional 7,365 shares during the period. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of AFG opened at $121.78 on Monday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.97 and a 1 year high of $150.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.23 billion, a PE ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 0.59. 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 has a 50-day simple moving average of $127.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $133.60.

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

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 14.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.