United Services Automobile Association Invests $583,000 in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Key Points

• United Services Automobile Association has acquired a new stake in American Financial Group, buying 4,485 shares valued at approximately $583,000.
• American Financial Group's stock is currently rated with an average of "Hold" from analysts and has a price target of $136.75.
• The company reported earnings of $2.14 per share for the latest quarter, surpassing estimates, although its revenue fell short at $1.65 billion.

United Services Automobile Association bought 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 SEC. The firm bought 4,485 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $583,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 144.3% in the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 215 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $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 in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in American Financial Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in American Financial Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $68,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Financial Group news, Director Stephen Craig Lindner, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.31, for a total value of $1,343,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 326,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,883,106.30. This trade represents a 2.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

AFG stock traded down $0.59 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $139.28. The stock had a trading volume of 103,803 shares, compared to its average volume of 495,094. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $130.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $127.33. 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 $11.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.30 and a beta of 0.73. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $114.73 and a 52-week high of $150.19.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.77 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 9.21%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.56 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th were issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AFG shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. 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 report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Financial Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $136.75.

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.