Vanguard Group Inc. Trims Stock Position in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Key Points

• Vanguard trimmed its stake in American Financial Group by 1.3% in Q4, selling 94,380 shares but still holds 7,297,408 shares — about 8.75% of the company valued at roughly $997.4 million.
• Recent results were mixed: AFG reported $2.47 EPS (missing estimates by $0.07) while revenue of $1.83 billion beat expectations; the stock trades near $131 with a market cap of $10.92 billion, a PE of 12.49 and a 2.7% dividend yield.
• Analyst sentiment is cautious: firms have adjusted ratings and targets recently, leaving AFG with an average analyst rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $143.00.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,297,408 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 94,380 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 8.75% of American Financial Group worth $997,410,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AFG. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 11.1% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 75,421 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $9,905,000 after buying an additional 7,554 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,330,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 145.8% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,278 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $168,000 after buying an additional 758 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 144.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 793 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 62.4% in the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 2,941 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $371,000 after buying an additional 1,130 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AFG. Weiss Ratings raised shares of American Financial Group from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $129.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.00.

American Financial Group Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of AFG opened at $131.37 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $10.92 billion, a PE ratio of 12.49 and a beta of 0.65. The company's fifty day moving average is $129.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.51. American Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $120.52 and a fifty-two week high of $150.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.54 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 19.49%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. Analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.98 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th were issued a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 15th. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,663 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.70, for a total value of $222,343.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 12,073 shares in the company, valued at $1,614,160.10. This trade represents a 12.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 16.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Financial Group Company Profile

American Financial Group, Inc NYSE: AFG is a diversified holding company primarily engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. Through its flagship subsidiary, Great American Insurance Company, the firm underwrites a broad range of specialty insurance products for commercial and industrial clients, including inland marine, excess and surplus lines, executive liability, and environmental liability coverage. In addition, American Financial Group offers supplemental accident and health insurance and assumes reinsurance risks from other insurers, helping to diversify its underwriting portfolio.

The company traces its roots to 1946, when it was founded by Carl Lindner, Sr.

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