American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG Stock Holdings Increased by UMB Bank n.a.

UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 15.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 776 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a.’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $98,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 4,280 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $586,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $3,601,000. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 9,606 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,315,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $310,000. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,569,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In related news, Director Stephen Craig Lindner, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.31, for a total transaction of $1,343,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 326,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,883,106.30. This trade represents a 2.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 17.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of AFG opened at $144.65 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.06 billion, a PE ratio of 15.90 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $133.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.10. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $114.73 and a 52-week high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.56 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th were paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 15th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 35.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on AFG shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Financial Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on American Financial Group from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on American Financial Group from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $136.75.

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.