Aviso Financial Inc. Has $1.30 Million Stock Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Aviso Financial Inc. trimmed its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 10.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,492 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,097 shares during the quarter. Aviso Financial Inc.’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 37.4% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 5,717 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,557 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the third quarter worth approximately $579,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 3.8% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 147,860 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $19,902,000 after purchasing an additional 5,352 shares during the period. MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the third quarter worth approximately $334,000. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 4.0% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 2,165 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on AFG. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of AFG opened at $127.25 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $10.69 billion, a PE ratio of 12.04 and a beta of 0.79. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $129.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $134.25. 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 twelve month low of $118.97 and a twelve month high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings results 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, research analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $2.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 30.27%.

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.