Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Acquires 110,872 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,127,518 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 110,872 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 1.35% of American Financial Group worth $164,293,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 278,279 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $40,551,000 after buying an additional 20,554 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its stake in American Financial Group by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 335,673 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $48,914,000 after buying an additional 29,593 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in American Financial Group in the second quarter valued at $1,790,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in American Financial Group by 16.7% in the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 64,591 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,152,000 after acquiring an additional 9,263 shares during the period. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its stake in American Financial Group by 33.6% during the second quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 94,788 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $11,963,000 after acquiring an additional 23,838 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

AFG opened at $129.10 on Tuesday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $114.73 and a one year high of $150.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.23 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $131.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.82 and a beta of 0.69.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.79 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.30% and a return on equity of 18.64%. American Financial Group’s revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.12 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Monday, February 16th were issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AFG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of American Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Financial Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $141.25.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In related news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,663 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.70, for a total value of $222,343.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,073 shares in the company, valued at $1,614,160.10. This trade represents a 12.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 17.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American Financial Group Company Profile

American Financial Group, Inc (NYSE: AFG) is a diversified holding company primarily engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. Through its flagship subsidiary, Great American Insurance Company, the firm underwrites a broad range of specialty insurance products for commercial and industrial clients, including inland marine, excess and surplus lines, executive liability, and environmental liability coverage. In addition, American Financial Group offers supplemental accident and health insurance and assumes reinsurance risks from other insurers, helping to diversify its underwriting portfolio.

The company traces its roots to 1946, when it was founded by Carl Lindner, Sr.