18,887 Shares in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG Acquired by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 18,887 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,643,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AFG. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth $1,079,329,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,567,721 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $350,956,000 after purchasing an additional 57,246 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,732,557 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $236,645,000 after purchasing an additional 29,731 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 19.0% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,506,510 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $192,395,000 after purchasing an additional 240,509 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in American Financial Group by 33.2% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,026,783 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $149,623,000 after buying an additional 255,693 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other American Financial Group news, VP Mark A. Weiss sold 2,813 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the vice president owned 6,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,364.48. This trade represents a 29.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 950 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.87, for a total value of $135,726.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,123 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,589,143.01. This trade represents a 7.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 17,380 shares of company stock valued at $2,390,788. Company insiders own 16.90% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of AFG opened at $142.89 on Friday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.09 and a 12 month high of $150.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.49 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $142.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.40. The company has a market cap of $11.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.49 and a beta of 0.60.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The insurance provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.85 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.14 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 12.13 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

About American Financial Group

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.