Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Purchases 300 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,574 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 300 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $544,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in American Financial Group by 1,804.5% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 96,652 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $11,491,000 after acquiring an additional 91,577 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its stake in American Financial Group by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 417,924 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $49,687,000 after acquiring an additional 19,867 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 1,096.3% during the third quarter. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al now owns 20,481 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,287,000 after acquiring an additional 18,769 shares during the period. Qsemble Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $692,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 4.0% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 635,387 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $70,954,000 after purchasing an additional 24,630 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $128.71 on Friday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $105.22 and a 52 week high of $137.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $10.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.81 and a beta of 0.79. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $129.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.37.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The insurance provider reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.89% and a return on equity of 22.14%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.99 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.99 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 25th. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th were issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 12th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.26%.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total value of $626,296.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,490,012. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,067 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.95, for a total transaction of $135,455.65. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,583 shares in the company, valued at $1,343,511.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total transaction of $626,296.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,490,012. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,843 shares of company stock worth $1,854,746. 14.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on AFG. Citigroup raised their price objective on American Financial Group from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $129.00 price objective on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $133.50.

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.