NorthRock Partners LLC Invests $496,000 in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

NorthRock Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 3,625 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $496,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in American Financial Group by 86.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Natixis purchased a new position in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in American Financial Group by 91.2% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $73,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Up 2.0%

American Financial Group stock opened at $126.66 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 capitalization of $10.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.98 and a beta of 0.72. American Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $114.73 and a fifty-two week high of $150.19. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $126.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $131.57.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.17 by ($0.36). The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.76 EPS. Analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on American Financial Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In related news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group 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.