Russell Investments Group Ltd. Boosts Stock Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in American Financial Group by 5.8% in the first quarter, acquiring an additional 3,444 shares, bringing their total ownership to 62,473 shares valued at approximately $8.2 million.
• American Financial Group has recently received varied assessments from analysts, with Wall Street Zen upgrading the stock from "sell" to "hold," while Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered its price target from $127.00 to $124.00.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings per share of $2.14, surpassing analyst expectations, and it has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.80 per share, representing a yield of 2.4% on an annualized basis.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 5.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 62,473 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,444 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.07% of American Financial Group worth $8,195,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in American Financial Group by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 22,130 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,903,000 after acquiring an additional 1,698 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in American Financial Group by 39.1% during the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 18,998 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,495,000 after acquiring an additional 5,340 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its position in American Financial Group by 35.2% during the 1st quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 2,725 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 710 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in American Financial Group during the 1st quarter worth about $30,442,000. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in American Financial Group during the 1st quarter worth about $286,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In related news, Director Stephen Craig Lindner, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of American Financial Group 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 sale, the director owned 326,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $43,883,106.30. This trade represents a 2.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

American Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE AFG traded down $0.95 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $133.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 224,618 shares, compared to its average volume of 457,619. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.69 and a beta of 0.74. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $114.73 and a 1-year high of $150.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The company's 50-day moving average is $127.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $125.94.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.06. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 9.21%.The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.56 EPS. American Financial Group's quarterly revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

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

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.