PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab Purchases New Shares in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Key Points

• PFA Pension bought 88,356 shares of American Financial Group (AFG) in Q4 — about $12.18 million worth — bringing its ownership to roughly 0.11%.
• Multiple institutions added to AFG stakes (notably M&T Bank increased to 637,090 shares), leaving institutional investors with 64.37% of the stock.
• AFG reported quarterly EPS of $2.47 (missing the $2.54 estimate), paid a $0.88 quarterly dividend (2.7% yield), the CFO sold 1,663 shares reducing his stake by 12.11%, and analysts' consensus rating is a Hold with a $143 price target.

PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 88,356 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $12,182,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab owned 0.11% of American Financial Group as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. M&T Bank Corp grew its position in American Financial Group by 20,131.5% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 637,090 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $87,077,000 after buying an additional 633,941 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in American Financial Group by 12.9% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,963,942 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $431,906,000 after buying an additional 337,573 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in American Financial Group by 33.2% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,026,783 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $149,623,000 after buying an additional 255,693 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in American Financial Group by 58.4% during the third quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 621,623 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $90,583,000 after buying an additional 229,140 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc grew its position in American Financial Group by 316.8% during the third quarter. Man Group plc now owns 198,528 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $28,930,000 after buying an additional 150,902 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,663 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.70, for a total transaction of $222,343.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 12,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,614,160.10. This represents a 12.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 16.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on AFG. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of American Financial Group from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $129.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $143.00.

American Financial Group Price Performance

American Financial Group stock opened at $131.37 on Monday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $129.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $132.41. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $120.52 and a 1 year high of $150.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.49 and a beta of 0.65. 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 (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.54 by ($0.07). American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 19.49%. The company had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. American Financial Group's revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th were issued a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 33.46%.

American Financial Group Profile

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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