Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Purchases 240,509 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 19.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,506,510 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 240,509 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $192,395,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 904.8% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 211 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 87.7% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 259 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 86.1% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 376 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of American Financial Group stock opened at $143.51 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $136.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $132.54. The firm has a market cap of $11.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.64 and a beta of 0.62. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.11 and a 12 month high of $150.02.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.54 by ($0.07). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 19.50% and a net margin of 10.76%.The business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.70 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 11.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were given a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on American Financial Group from $140.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $158.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Financial Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $150.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 2,247 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.00, for a total transaction of $312,333.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 13,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,825,765. This trade represents a 14.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider David Lawrence Thompson, Jr. sold 11,370 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.05, for a total transaction of $1,535,518.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 584,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $78,882,434.90. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 16.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Financial Group Company Profile

American Financial Group, Inc (NYSE: AFG) is a diversified holding company primarily engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. Through its flagship subsidiary, Great American Insurance Company, the firm underwrites a broad range of specialty insurance products for commercial and industrial clients, including inland marine, excess and surplus lines, executive liability, and environmental liability coverage. In addition, American Financial Group offers supplemental accident and health insurance and assumes reinsurance risks from other insurers, helping to diversify its underwriting portfolio.

The company traces its roots to 1946, when it was founded by Carl Lindner, Sr.