American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG Shares Bought by Aberdeen Group plc

Aberdeen Group plc increased its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 145.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,773 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,391 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,565,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AFG. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in American Financial Group by 1.8% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,565,424 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $323,782,000 after acquiring an additional 44,710 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $106,707,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 29.6% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 424,723 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $53,605,000 after purchasing an additional 97,102 shares during the last quarter. Vestor Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 64,631.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 388,388 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $49,018,000 after purchasing an additional 387,788 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 9.7% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 335,673 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $48,914,000 after purchasing an additional 29,593 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of American Financial Group stock opened at $130.14 on Friday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $114.73 and a 1 year high of $150.02. The company has a market cap of $10.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $132.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.39.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.30% and a return on equity of 18.92%. The firm’s revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.12 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on AFG shares. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on American Financial Group from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on American Financial Group from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Financial Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.25.

About American Financial Group

American Financial Group, Inc (NYSE: AFG) is a diversified holding company primarily engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. Through its flagship subsidiary, Great American Insurance Company, the firm underwrites a broad range of specialty insurance products for commercial and industrial clients, including inland marine, excess and surplus lines, executive liability, and environmental liability coverage. In addition, American Financial Group offers supplemental accident and health insurance and assumes reinsurance risks from other insurers, helping to diversify its underwriting portfolio.

The company traces its roots to 1946, when it was founded by Carl Lindner, Sr.