American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG Shares Bought by Focus Partners Wealth

Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 50.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,374 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,886 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Wealth’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $5,434,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AFG. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in American Financial Group by 395.5% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,520,714 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $331,071,000 after buying an additional 2,012,027 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in American Financial Group by 240.0% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 585,841 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $76,821,000 after purchasing an additional 413,516 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,442,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in American Financial Group by 166.7% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 280,012 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,777,000 after buying an additional 175,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 112.5% during the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 327,621 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $43,030,000 after purchasing an additional 173,452 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:AFG opened at $139.81 on Monday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $114.73 and a 52 week high of $150.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.47. The company has a market capitalization of $11.66 billion, a PE ratio of 15.36 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $130.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $127.33.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 9.21% and a return on equity of 17.41%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.56 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 15th were given a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 15th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AFG. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Financial Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $136.75.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In related news, Director Stephen Craig Lindner, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.31, for a total value of $1,343,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 326,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,883,106.30. This trade represents a 2.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 17.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.