Oak Thistle LLC Takes $1.07 Million Position in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Key Points

• Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake of 7,841 shares in American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) during Q4, valued at approximately $1.07 million.
• Analyst coverage is mixed with a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $144, amid recent moves such as Wells Fargo trimming its target to $155, Weiss Ratings upgrading to a buy, and KBW raising its target to $140.
• AFG beat estimates with quarterly EPS of $3.65 and revenue of $2.06 billion, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.88 (annualized yield ~2.7%).

Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 7,841 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,072,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Leo Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Leo Wealth LLC now owns 2,066 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 1,662 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. JB Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. JB Capital LLC now owns 4,268 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $583,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 12,618 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,725,000 after purchasing an additional 1,845 shares during the period. Finally, Applied Capital LLC FL increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 50.2% in the fourth quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL now owns 7,034 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $961,000 after purchasing an additional 2,351 shares during the period. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on AFG shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on American Financial Group from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings raised American Financial Group from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on American Financial Group from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $144.00.

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.4%

American Financial Group stock opened at $132.38 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $11.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.15 and a beta of 0.69. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $120.52 and a 52 week high of $150.02. The business's 50-day moving average price is $129.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $133.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 18.64% and a net margin of 10.30%.American Financial Group's revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.12 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 34.96%.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,663 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 12,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,614,160.10. This represents a 12.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

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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