Nicolet Advisory Services LLC Makes New $212,000 Investment in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,632 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $212,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in American Financial Group by 17.0% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,365 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $722,000 after buying an additional 781 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 4,128 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $556,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 11,973 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,621,000 after purchasing an additional 1,734 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its position in American Financial Group by 193.5% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 9,293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,251,000 after purchasing an additional 6,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Investment Management Corp of Ontario lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 42.8% in the 3rd quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 2,336 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:AFG opened at $121.78 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $127.54 and its 200-day moving average is $133.64. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $118.97 and a 1-year high of $150.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market cap of $10.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 0.79.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share 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. 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 2.63%. The ex-dividend date 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 stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

About American Financial Group

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.