American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 767,900 shares, a decrease of 12.9% from the March 15th total of 882,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 345,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

American Financial Group Stock Down 0.8 %

American Financial Group stock traded down $1.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $127.31. The stock had a trading volume of 193,413 shares, compared to its average volume of 293,897. American Financial Group has a one year low of $105.22 and a one year high of $137.71. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $128.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $119.47. The company has a market capitalization of $10.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.47.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The insurance provider reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.89% and a return on equity of 22.14%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.99 EPS. On average, analysts expect that American Financial Group will post 10.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 25th. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.26%.

Insider Activity

In other American Financial Group news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,067 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.95, for a total value of $135,455.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,583 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,343,511.85. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,067 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.95, for a total value of $135,455.65. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,583 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,343,511.85. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total transaction of $626,296.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,490,012. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,843 shares of company stock worth $1,854,746. 14.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Financial Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 132.5% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 272 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp purchased a new stake in American Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in American Financial Group by 44.8% in the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 323 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AFG shares. Piper Sandler reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $129.00 price objective on shares of American Financial Group in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Financial Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $133.50.

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.

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