1,984 Shares in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Acquired by Souders Financial Advisors

Souders Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,984 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $261,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 10.8% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 59,633 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $7,832,000 after acquiring an additional 5,799 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 1st quarter valued at $282,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the 1st quarter worth $1,370,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 144.3% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 215 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,427 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $713,000 after buying an additional 514 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on American Financial Group from $125.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th.

American Financial Group Price Performance

AFG traded down $2.14 on Thursday, reaching $126.25. The stock had a trading volume of 97,378 shares, compared to its average volume of 505,781. American Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $114.73 and a fifty-two week high of $150.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $124.95 and a 200-day moving average of $126.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $10.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.24 and a beta of 0.71.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.17 by ($0.36). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 18.34% and a net margin of 9.66%. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.76 EPS. American Financial Group's revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. American Financial Group's payout ratio is 33.61%.

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.