iSAM Funds UK Ltd Buys New Shares in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Key Points

• iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new position of 14,836 shares in American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) during Q3, valued at about $2.16 million, and institutional investors collectively own approximately 64.37% of the company.
• AFG beat expectations in its latest quarter with EPS of $3.65 (vs. $3.18 est.) and revenue of $2.06 billion (vs. $1.79 billion), and the firm has a market cap of $10.67 billion and a PE ratio of 12.72.
• The company paid a $1.50 special dividend on Feb 25, while analysts' consensus is a Hold rating with an average price target of $141.25.

iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 14,836 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,162,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 11.1% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 75,421 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $9,905,000 after buying an additional 7,554 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. acquired a new stake in American Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,330,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 145.8% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,278 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $168,000 after acquiring an additional 758 shares in the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new position in American Financial Group in the second quarter worth approximately $221,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 4.8% in the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 35,707 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,507,000 after acquiring an additional 1,633 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of American Financial Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $141.25.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In related news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,663 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.70, for a total value of $222,343.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,614,160.10. This trade represents a 12.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 17.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $128.12 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.23. American Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $114.73 and a fifty-two week high of $150.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.67 billion, a PE ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.69. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $130.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.29.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.79 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 18.64% and a net margin of 10.30%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 16th were issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.96%.

About American Financial Group

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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