Cerity Partners LLC Buys 283 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 9.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,136 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $373,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AFG. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 0.6% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 15,397 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,719,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 1.1% in the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 11,242 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,255,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 0.4% in the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 33,796 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,774,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 132.5% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 272 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 7.3% in the third quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,449 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $497,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Financial Group Stock Down 1.1 %

AFG stock opened at $127.34 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $129.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $120.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $105.22 and a 1-year high of $137.71. The stock has a market cap of $10.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 0.79.

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

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 15th were given a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 12th. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.26%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total transaction of $626,296.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,490,012. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total transaction of $626,296.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,490,012. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director James E. Evans sold 2,274 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.64, for a total value of $292,527.36. Following the sale, the director now owns 105,302 shares in the company, valued at $13,546,049.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,843 shares of company stock valued at $1,854,746 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $129.00 target price on shares of American Financial Group in a report on Monday, April 1st. Citigroup boosted their price objective on American Financial Group from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Financial Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $133.50.

American Financial Group Profile

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.