Voya Investment Management LLC Purchases 317,859 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Voya Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 89.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 672,851 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 317,859 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.80% of American Financial Group worth $92,134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AFG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $122,419,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in American Financial Group by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 997,340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $136,566,000 after purchasing an additional 207,285 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in American Financial Group by 27.7% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 684,178 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $93,684,000 after purchasing an additional 148,259 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in American Financial Group by 78.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 333,078 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $44,832,000 after purchasing an additional 146,237 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,287,861 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,134,857,000 after purchasing an additional 99,560 shares during the period. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on American Financial Group from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th.

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE AFG opened at $129.04 on Friday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $114.73 and a 1-year high of $150.19. The company has a market capitalization of $10.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $125.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share (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%. Equities analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. 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 bought 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the completion of 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

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.