Allstate Corp Makes New $385,000 Investment in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Allstate Corp purchased a new position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,814 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $385,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $236,000. Slagle Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Slagle Financial LLC now owns 13,133 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,798,000 after purchasing an additional 557 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in American Financial Group by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 47,989 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,571,000 after acquiring an additional 1,874 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at $6,751,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth about $122,419,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 14.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of AFG stock opened at $132.27 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.97 and a 12 month high of $150.19. The firm has a market cap of $11.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 0.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $127.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.76.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 EPS 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%. 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.27%.

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.