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

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

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AFG. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in American Financial Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,287,861 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,134,857,000 after purchasing an additional 99,560 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,595,346 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $218,146,000 after buying an additional 42,139 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 207,285 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in American Financial Group by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 996,724 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $136,481,000 after buying an additional 63,193 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in American Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $122,419,000. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of AFG stock opened at $129.04 on Friday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $114.73 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $125.77 and a 200-day moving average of $132.49. The company has a market capitalization of $10.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 0.59.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. As a group, equities research analysts predict 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given 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 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.