First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. Takes Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,046 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $243,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 132.5% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 272 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $42,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in American Financial Group in the third quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 7,616.7% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 926 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

AFG stock opened at $129.18 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 0.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $130.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $121.52. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $105.22 and a 52-week high of $137.71.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The insurance provider reported $2.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.70 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.89 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 21.56% and a net margin of 11.03%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.89 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th were issued a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 12th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on AFG shares. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $129.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $135.00.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In related news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total transaction of $626,296.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,490,012. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,067 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.95, for a total transaction of $135,455.65. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,343,511.85. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total value of $626,296.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,490,012. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,843 shares of company stock worth $1,854,746. Corporate insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

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.