Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires Shares of 20,432 American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 20,432 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,798,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AFG. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 91.2% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 301.1% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 702 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the third quarter valued at about $125,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 31.6% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,059 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $145,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on American Financial Group from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In related news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 57,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,954,717. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of AFG stock opened at $125.49 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $125.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market cap of $10.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.87 and a beta of 0.59. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $114.73 and a 12 month high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 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%. Research analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 30.27%.

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.