American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG Shares Sold by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC cut its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 1.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,245 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 917 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned approximately 0.06% of American Financial Group worth $6,594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Xponance Inc. lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 11,882 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,561,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. now owns 1,727 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $222,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,356 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $297,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 15.6% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 776 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 2,839 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $358,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AFG shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. 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 note on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Financial Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $136.75.

American Financial Group Stock Up 1.1%

AFG stock opened at $148.75 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $12.40 billion, a PE ratio of 16.35 and a beta of 0.74. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $135.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $129.14. American Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $114.73 and a one year high of $150.19.

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

American Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 24th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 15th will be issued a $0.88 dividend. This is a boost from American Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 15th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 38.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Stephen Craig Lindner, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director owned 326,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,883,106.30. This trade represents a 2.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

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.