American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG Stake Lessened by Bahl & Gaynor Inc.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lessened its holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 19.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 519,348 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 126,118 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned about 0.62% of American Financial Group worth $65,547,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AFG. 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 worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. CX Institutional increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 421.1% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 198 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Confluence Wealth Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 1.7% during the second quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 9,645 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,217,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on AFG. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a report on Wednesday. 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. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of American Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised American Financial Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $135.00.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFG opened at $138.16 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.18 and a beta of 0.78. The business has a 50-day moving average of $139.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.62. American Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $114.73 and a fifty-two week high of $150.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.47.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.34. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 9.21%.The business had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.31 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a $2.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In related news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,777 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.51, for a total transaction of $253,240.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,610,363. This represents a 13.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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.