Valmark Advisers Inc. Invests $1.08 Million in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Valmark Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 8,222 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,080,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. Natixis acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 91.2% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in American Financial Group by 97.4% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on AFG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on American Financial Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered American Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $138.75.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $126.19 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $128.46. The company has a market cap of $10.56 billion, a PE ratio of 13.26 and a beta of 0.72. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $114.73 and a 12-month high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.76 EPS. The company's revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th were issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group's payout ratio is currently 33.61%.

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.

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