49,304 Shares in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Acquired by New Age Alpha Advisors LLC

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 49,304 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,751,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 7.3% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 16,952 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,282,000 after purchasing an additional 1,146 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 503,115 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $67,719,000 after acquiring an additional 39,623 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 17.7% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 84,910 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $11,429,000 after acquiring an additional 12,749 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in American Financial Group by 17.0% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,365 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $722,000 after acquiring an additional 781 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 12.3% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 5,474 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $737,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE:AFG opened at $127.87 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market cap of $10.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.10 and a beta of 0.79. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $128.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $133.84. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.97 and a 52 week high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.