Guggenheim Capital LLC Sells 651 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Guggenheim Capital LLC reduced its stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 6.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 8,735 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 651 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,196,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 86.8% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 91.2% in the 4th 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 period. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 301.1% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 702 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nicolet Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in American Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:AFG opened at $125.49 on Tuesday. 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 52-week low of $114.73 and a 52-week high of $150.19. The company has a market capitalization of $10.50 billion, a PE ratio of 11.87 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a fifty day moving average of $125.45 and a 200-day moving average of $132.58.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. On average, equities analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered 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, April 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.