American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Shares Sold by Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund reduced its stake in American Financial Group by 22.4%, owning 27,658 shares worth $3.63 million after selling 8,000 shares in the first quarter.
• Leading analysts upgraded the stock's rating: Jefferies Financial Group raised its price target from $125.00 to $130.00, indicating a hold rating.
• The company reported EPS of $2.14 for the last quarter, surpassing estimates, but with revenue of $1.65 billion falling short of forecasts, showing a 1.3% increase year-over-year.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund trimmed its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 22.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,658 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 8,000 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in American Financial Group were worth $3,633,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Financial Group Inc. 401 K Retirement & Savings Plan grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. American Financial Group Inc. 401 K Retirement & Savings Plan now owns 2,616,928 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $343,707,000 after acquiring an additional 23,228 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 395.5% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,520,714 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $331,071,000 after acquiring an additional 2,012,027 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 35.8% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 802,069 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $109,827,000 after acquiring an additional 211,630 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 27.7% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 684,178 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $93,684,000 after acquiring an additional 148,259 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 89.5% during the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 672,851 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $92,134,000 after acquiring an additional 317,859 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Financial Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, American Financial Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $136.75.

American Financial Group Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE AFG opened at $131.57 on Friday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $114.73 and a one year high of $150.19. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $126.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $125.98. 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 has a market capitalization of $10.97 billion, a PE ratio of 14.46 and a beta of 0.74.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.06. The business 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 period in the previous year, the business posted $2.56 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 25th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.16%.

American Financial Group Company 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.

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