Raymond James & Associates Boosts Stock Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 27.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,295 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,121 shares during the quarter. Raymond James & Associates’ holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,700,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 44,378 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,276,000 after purchasing an additional 5,540 shares in the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $234,000. Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $344,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,288,375 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $925,563,000 after acquiring an additional 81,293 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 93.7% in the 3rd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 23,824 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,660,000 after acquiring an additional 11,522 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Financial Group Trading Down 1.9 %

AFG opened at $124.53 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $128.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $119.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.39 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.47. American Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $105.22 and a one year high of $137.71.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The insurance provider reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 22.14% and a net margin of 10.89%. American Financial Group’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.99 EPS. Analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.99 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be given a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 12th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AFG shares. Citigroup boosted their target price on American Financial Group from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $129.00 target price on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $133.50.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total value of $626,296.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,490,012. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total value of $626,296.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,490,012. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,067 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.95, for a total value of $135,455.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,343,511.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 14,843 shares of company stock valued at $1,854,746. Corporate insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Company 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.