Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Grows Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 63.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 423,162 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 163,671 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned approximately 0.51% of American Financial Group worth $50,310,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 44.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 323 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total transaction of $626,296.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,490,012. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total value of $626,296.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,490,012. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director James E. Evans sold 2,274 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.64, for a total transaction of $292,527.36. Following the transaction, the director now owns 105,302 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,546,049.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,843 shares of company stock valued at $1,854,746. 14.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Financial Group Price Performance

American Financial Group stock traded down $1.37 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $127.34. 352,251 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 250,025. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $129.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $120.54. The firm has a market cap of $10.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $105.22 and a 1-year high of $137.71.

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

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AFG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $129.00 price objective on shares of American Financial Group in a report on Monday, April 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $133.50.

American Financial Group Company 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.