Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Makes New Investment in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Key Points

• Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. has acquired a new stake in American Financial Group, purchasing 25,000 shares valued at approximately $3.155 million during Q2.
• American Financial Group reported earnings per share of $2.14 for the latest quarter, exceeding analyst estimates by $0.06, although revenues were below expectations at $1.65 billion.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.80 per share, translating to an annualized yield of 2.3% and a payout ratio of 35.16%.

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 25,000 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,155,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $53,000. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 9,606 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,315,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 4,280 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $586,000 after acquiring an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 500,451 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $68,527,000 after acquiring an additional 57,918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,601,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of AFG traded up $1.12 on Tuesday, hitting $143.42. 197,185 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 499,957. The company has a market capitalization of $11.96 billion, a PE ratio of 15.77 and a beta of 0.73. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $127.88. American Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $114.73 and a one year high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 9.21% and a return on equity of 17.41%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.56 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In related news, Director Stephen Craig Lindner, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.31, for a total transaction of $1,343,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 326,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at $43,883,106.30. This trade represents a 2.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 17.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AFG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. 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 for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of 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, Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Financial Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, American Financial Group has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.