2,140 Shares in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG Acquired by Sciencast Management LP

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

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AFG. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in American Financial Group by 144.3% during 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 acquired a new position in American Financial Group during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in American Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in American Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in American Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at $68,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of AFG stock traded down $0.38 on Monday, hitting $139.49. 79,443 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 495,004. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $11.63 billion, a PE ratio of 15.33 and a beta of 0.73. American Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $114.73 and a one year high of $150.19. The firm's 50 day moving average is $130.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.33.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.56 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th were paid a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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 dated 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 transaction, the director directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 17.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About American Financial Group

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.