Sciencast Management LP Purchases Shares of 2,140 American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Key Points

• Sciencast Management LP has acquired a new stake in American Financial Group, purchasing 2,140 shares valued at approximately $281,000 in the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors significantly increased their holdings in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter, with Jane Street Group boosting their stake by 759.1%.
• American Financial Group recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.80 per share, representing a 2.3% dividend yield for shareholders.

Sciencast Management LP purchased a new position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,140 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $281,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AFG. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 144.3% in the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 215 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in American Financial Group during the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $53,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group during the 1st quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in American Financial Group during the 1st quarter worth $68,000. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company's stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE:AFG traded down $0.34 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $139.81. 309,913 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 403,792. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $114.73 and a 52-week high of $150.19. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $130.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $127.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a market cap of $11.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36 and a beta of 0.73.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.77 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.56 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 15th. American Financial Group's payout ratio is currently 35.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on AFG shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on American Financial Group from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on American Financial Group from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut American Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $136.75.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Stephen Craig Lindner, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.31, for a total transaction of $1,343,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 326,730 shares in the company, valued at $43,883,106.30. The trade was a 2.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 17.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American Financial Group 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.