Boston Trust Walden Corp Reduces Stock Position in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Key Points

• Boston Trust Walden Corp cut its stake in American Financial Group by 13.6% in Q4, selling 73,637 shares and leaving it with 469,645 shares worth about $64.19 million (≈0.56% ownership).
• Several institutions ramped up positions—most notably M&T Bank, which added 633,941 shares to hold 637,090 shares—and overall institutional ownership stands at about 64.37%.
• AFG beat Q4 expectations with EPS of $3.65 vs. $3.18 consensus and also announced a $0.88 quarterly dividend (ex-dividend Apr 15, payable Apr 24), implying a ~2.7% yield.

Boston Trust Walden Corp cut its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 13.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 469,645 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 73,637 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned approximately 0.56% of American Financial Group worth $64,191,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AFG. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 20,131.5% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 637,090 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $87,077,000 after purchasing an additional 633,941 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,963,942 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $431,906,000 after acquiring an additional 337,573 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 33.2% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,026,783 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $149,623,000 after acquiring an additional 255,693 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 58.4% in the 3rd quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 621,623 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $90,583,000 after acquiring an additional 229,140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 316.8% in the 3rd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 198,528 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $28,930,000 after acquiring an additional 150,902 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In related news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,663 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.70, for a total transaction of $222,343.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 12,073 shares in the company, valued at $1,614,160.10. The trade was a 12.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 16.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on AFG. Weiss Ratings upgraded American Financial Group from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on American Financial Group from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on American Financial Group from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $144.00.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of AFG opened at $130.67 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $10.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.98 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $129.62 and a 200-day moving average of $133.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $120.52 and a 52 week high of $150.02.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.47. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 18.64% and a net margin of 10.30%.The business had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.12 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.98 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. American Financial Group's payout ratio is currently 34.96%.

American Financial Group Profile

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.

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