SG Americas Securities LLC Grows Stock Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 6,414.6% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 129,967 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 127,972 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $17,070,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $122,419,000. Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 89.5% in the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 672,851 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $92,134,000 after purchasing an additional 317,859 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 802,069 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $109,827,000 after purchasing an additional 211,630 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 997,340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $136,566,000 after purchasing an additional 207,285 shares during the period. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $20,675,000. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Financial Group Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE AFG opened at $123.84 on Wednesday. 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 $10.36 billion, a PE ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $124.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $129.96. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $114.73 and a 52 week high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.17 by ($0.36). The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. The company’s revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.76 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th were paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.58%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of 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.

American Financial Group Company Profile

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.