Legal & General Group Plc Has $33.11 Million Stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Legal & General Group Plc reduced its holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 29.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 241,771 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 99,802 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $33,106,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AFG. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 16.9% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 11,973 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,621,000 after buying an additional 1,734 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its position in American Financial Group by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 5,069 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $682,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 0.7% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 44,609 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,004,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the third quarter worth about $225,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 3.5% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 3,400 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $458,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Financial Group Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:AFG opened at $125.82 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.90 and a beta of 0.59. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $114.73 and a 1-year high of $150.19. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $125.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $132.94. 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 (NYSE:AFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 14.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Financial Group 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.