Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $15.49 Million Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 123.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 115,050 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 63,541 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.14% of American Financial Group worth $15,486,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 37,701 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $5,145,000 after acquiring an additional 4,420 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 360.7% during the 1st quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 27,155 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,706,000 after purchasing an additional 21,261 shares during the last quarter. Norden Group LLC bought a new position in American Financial Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $885,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 308.5% during the 1st quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 24,080 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,286,000 after purchasing an additional 18,185 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Duality Advisers LP bought a new position in American Financial Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $912,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Financial Group Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $129.41 on Friday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $106.62 and a 1-year high of $138.81. The company has a market cap of $10.86 billion, a PE ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a 50-day moving average of $134.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $129.66.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The insurance provider reported $2.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.11. American Financial Group had a net margin of 11.06% and a return on equity of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.38 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 15th were paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.47%. This is an increase from American Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 15th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 30.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th.

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.