Intech Investment Management LLC Raises Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 57.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 38,623 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 14,045 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $5,289,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 32.0% during the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,989 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 19,001 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,602,000 after purchasing an additional 1,072 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $370,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 16,907 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,315,000 after purchasing an additional 1,647 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Achmea Investment Management B.V. grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 6,377 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $873,000 after purchasing an additional 449 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of AFG opened at $125.45 on Wednesday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.97 and a fifty-two week high of $150.19. The company has a market capitalization of $10.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.87 and a beta of 0.79. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $129.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.18. 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 (NYSE:AFG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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 approximately $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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.