Insider Selling: American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) CFO Sells 1,777 Shares of Stock

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) CFO Brian Hertzman sold 1,777 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.51, for a total value of $253,240.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,610,363. This represents a 13.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:AFG traded down $0.67 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $142.39. 620,777 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 495,268. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $138.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $130.80. The firm has a market cap of $11.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.65 and a beta of 0.78. American Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $114.73 and a one year high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.02 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 9.21%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.31 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate 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 declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on AFG. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on American Financial Group from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Financial Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of American Financial Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Financial Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $134.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 395.5% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,520,714 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $331,071,000 after purchasing an additional 2,012,027 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in American Financial Group during the second quarter valued at $106,707,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 240.0% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 585,841 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $76,821,000 after buying an additional 413,516 shares in the last quarter. Vestor Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 64,631.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 388,388 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $49,018,000 after buying an additional 387,788 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 1st quarter worth about $30,442,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.