ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Buys New Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. acquired 2,610 shares of American Financial Group, valued at approximately $343,000, during the first quarter.
• American Financial Group reported a Q2 earnings per share (EPS) of $2.14, exceeding analysts' estimates by $0.06, despite revenue falling short of expectations.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.80 per share with a dividend yield of 2.5%, reflecting a healthy payout ratio of 35.16%.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. acquired a new stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 2,610 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $343,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in American Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at $68,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 50.8% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,518 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $725,000 after acquiring an additional 1,858 shares during the last quarter. American Financial Group Inc. 401 K Retirement & Savings Plan increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 0.9% in 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 during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 1st quarter worth $544,000. Finally, Norden Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 1st quarter worth $208,000. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on AFG shares. Wall Street Zen raised American Financial Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on American Financial Group from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Financial Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $136.75.

American Financial Group Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:AFG traded down $0.39 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $133.41. 355,788 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 506,961. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $125.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $126.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $11.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.66 and a beta of 0.74. American Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $114.73 and a fifty-two week high of $150.19.

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

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 15th were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 15th. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.16%.

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.