57,496 Shares in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG Purchased by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp purchased a new position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 57,496 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $8,046,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AFG. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 904.8% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 211 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on AFG shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on American Financial Group from $148.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings raised American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on American Financial Group from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on American Financial Group from $158.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $156.00.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of AFG opened at $142.00 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.41 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $142.60 and a 200 day moving average of $135.14. American Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.09 and a twelve month high of $150.02.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The insurance provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.32 by $0.50. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.35% and a net margin of 11.51%.The business had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.14 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 12.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th were given a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 30.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Financial Group news, VP Mark A. Weiss sold 2,813 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.76, for a total value of $407,209.88. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 6,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,364.48. The trade was a 29.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 2,247 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 13,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,825,765. This represents a 14.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 16,430 shares of company stock worth $2,255,061. 16.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American Financial Group 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.