Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New $1.57 Million Investment in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 11,461 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,569,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake 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 worth $5,289,000 after buying an additional 14,045 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 151,771 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $20,782,000 after purchasing an additional 3,911 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 31,362 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,294,000 after purchasing an additional 2,787 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,127,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on American Financial Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was bought 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 owns 57,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 17.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Financial Group Price Performance

AFG stock opened at $122.12 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $126.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $131.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.22 billion, a PE ratio of 11.55 and a beta of 0.72. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $114.73 and a 1 year high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by ($0.36). The company had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.74 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. American Financial Group’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.76 earnings per share. Equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th were given a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.62%. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 33.61%.

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.