American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Shares Bought by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 12.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 121,841 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,351 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.15% of American Financial Group worth $16,684,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AFG. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in American Financial Group by 17.0% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,365 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $722,000 after buying an additional 781 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 3.4% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 77,793 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $10,471,000 after buying an additional 2,575 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 55.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 94,975 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $12,784,000 after buying an additional 33,888 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the third quarter worth about $722,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in American Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $807,000. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

American Financial Group Stock Up 1.1 %

AFG stock opened at $131.45 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.04 billion, a PE ratio of 12.44 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a fifty day moving average of $127.99 and a 200-day moving average of $133.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53. American Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $118.97 and a one year 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 net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. As a group, analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.27%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were 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 $6,954,717. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 14.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.