Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Lowers Stock Position in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lowered its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 44,322 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 377 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. owned about 0.05% of American Financial Group worth $5,594,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AFG. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 10.8% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 59,633 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $7,832,000 after buying an additional 5,799 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in American Financial Group during the first quarter worth about $1,370,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 144.3% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 215 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. purchased a new stake in American Financial Group during the first quarter worth about $1,014,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 31.4% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,389 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,102,000 after buying an additional 2,006 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFG opened at $130.91 on Wednesday. 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 market capitalization of $10.92 billion, a PE ratio of 14.39 and a beta of 0.74. American Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $114.73 and a twelve month high of $150.19. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $138.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $130.41.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its 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 firm 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.56 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 15th were given a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from American Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 15th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.68%.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In other news, Director Stephen Craig Lindner, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director directly owned 326,730 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on AFG shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Financial Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $136.75.

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.