Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd Acquires Shares of 2,700 American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 2,700 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $370,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 16,907 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,315,000 after purchasing an additional 1,647 shares during the last quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 6,377 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $873,000 after acquiring an additional 449 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in American Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $394,000. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 13,658 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,870,000 after purchasing an additional 1,685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 2,015 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 14.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

American Financial Group Price Performance

American Financial Group stock opened at $127.25 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.04 and a beta of 0.79. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.97 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $129.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $134.27.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. Equities analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders 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 (DPR) is presently 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.