Cetera Investment Advisers Increases Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Key Points

• Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. by 153.1% during Q1, now owning a total of 11,925 shares valued at approximately $1.57 million.
• American Financial Group's Q2 earnings report showed an EPS of $2.14, exceeding analyst expectations, with a total revenue of $1.65 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.80 per share, translating to an annualized dividend yield of 2.5% and a payout ratio of 35.16%.

Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 153.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,925 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,214 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,566,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 6,846 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $937,000 after buying an additional 533 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in American Financial Group by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,052 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $692,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 53,834 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $7,372,000 after buying an additional 2,474 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 59,029 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $8,075,000 after buying an additional 449 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 996,724 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $136,481,000 after buying an additional 63,193 shares during the period. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AFG traded up $2.60 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $130.97. The stock had a trading volume of 347,915 shares, compared to its average volume of 514,449. The firm has a market cap of $10.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.39 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. American Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $114.73 and a fifty-two week high of $150.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $125.62 and a 200-day moving average of $126.08.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 9.21%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.56 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on AFG. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Financial Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on American Financial Group from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, 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 report on Monday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $136.75.

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.