Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC Makes New Investment in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Key Points

• Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased 11,118 shares of American Financial Group, Inc. for approximately $1,460,000 during the first quarter, highlighting increased institutional interest in the stock.
• American Financial Group reported $2.14 earnings per share in its last quarterly results, surpassing analysts' estimates, although its revenue fell slightly short of expectations at $1.65 billion.
• The company's recent quarterly dividend was set at $0.80 per share, representing an annualized yield of 2.4%, indicating a stable return for shareholders.

Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 11,118 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,460,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 10.2% in the first quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 645,466 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $84,776,000 after purchasing an additional 59,715 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 5.7% in the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,597 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $472,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 228.7% in the first quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 6,656 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $874,000 after purchasing an additional 4,631 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the first quarter worth $920,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 112.5% in the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 327,621 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $43,030,000 after purchasing an additional 173,452 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company's stock.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

American Financial Group stock traded down $0.70 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $135.88. 364,346 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 447,645. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.33 billion, a PE ratio of 14.93 and a beta of 0.73. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $114.73 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The business's 50-day moving average is $128.24 and its 200-day moving average is $126.22.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.77 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 9.21%.American Financial Group's revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.56 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th were given a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on American Financial Group from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen cut American Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on American Financial Group from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $136.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Financial Group news, Director Stephen Craig Lindner, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The stock was 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 $43,883,106.30. This 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 this hyperlink. 17.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.