Fmr LLC Sells 67,777 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Fmr LLC trimmed its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,448,574 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 67,777 shares during the quarter. Fmr LLC owned about 0.06% of American Financial Group worth $746,073,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AFG. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake 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 valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 91.2% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 301.1% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 702 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $125,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,059 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $145,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,954,717. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 14.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Financial Group Stock Down 4.1 %

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $116.85 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $9.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $114.90 and a 12 month high of $150.19. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $127.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $133.46.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 30.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.