Sims Investment Management LLC Purchases Shares of 5,811 American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Sims Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 5,811 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $796,000. American Financial Group makes up 0.5% of Sims Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AFG. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 997,340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $136,566,000 after acquiring an additional 207,285 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 3.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,516,351 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $742,501,000 after acquiring an additional 202,522 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 78.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 333,078 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $44,832,000 after acquiring an additional 146,237 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 10.2% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,553,207 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $208,699,000 after acquiring an additional 143,820 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 4.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,693,356 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $362,526,000 after acquiring an additional 104,172 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In related news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE:AFG opened at $126.24 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a market capitalization of $10.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.94 and a beta of 0.83. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.97 and a 12 month high of $150.19. The business’s 50-day moving average is $131.67 and its 200 day moving average is $134.44.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 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%. On average, equities research 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 business also recently disclosed 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. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AFG shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

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.