Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 14,265 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP has increased its position in American Financial Group by 1.5%, owning 983,398 shares valued at approximately $129.15 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• The company has recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.80 per share, representing a 2.4% yield and a payout ratio of 35.16%.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with target price adjustments ranging from $124.00 to $136.75, indicating a consensus rating of "Hold" among investment analysts.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 1.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 983,398 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 14,265 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.18% of American Financial Group worth $129,147,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 10.8% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 59,633 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $7,832,000 after purchasing an additional 5,799 shares during the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $282,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the first quarter worth $1,370,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 144.3% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 215 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 10.5% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,427 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $713,000 after buying an additional 514 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Financial Group Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE AFG traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $133.55. The company had a trading volume of 114,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 497,683. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $127.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $125.94. 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 company has a market capitalization of $11.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.69 and a beta of 0.74. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $114.73 and a 12-month 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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for 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 revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.56 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Stephen Craig Lindner, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were 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 directly owned 326,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,883,106.30. The trade was a 2.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Financial Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on American Financial Group from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $136.75.

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.