California Public Employees Retirement System Increases Stock Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

California Public Employees Retirement System grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 34.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 180,172 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 45,752 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.22% of American Financial Group worth $21,421,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 1,804.5% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 96,652 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $11,491,000 after acquiring an additional 91,577 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its position in American Financial Group by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 417,924 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $49,687,000 after purchasing an additional 19,867 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 1,096.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al now owns 20,481 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,287,000 after acquiring an additional 18,769 shares during the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $692,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 635,387 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $70,954,000 after purchasing an additional 24,630 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company's stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of AFG traded up $0.30 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $127.64. The stock had a trading volume of 354,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 335,191. The firm has a market cap of $10.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 0.79. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $105.22 and a 12 month high of $137.71. The business has a fifty day moving average of $129.68 and a 200 day moving average of $120.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.47.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 business 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 company's revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.99 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.99 EPS for the current 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 12th. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is 28.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of the company'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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,490,012. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, VP Mark A. Weiss sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.06, for a total value of $317,650.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,553 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $959,684.18. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 14,843 shares of company stock worth $1,854,746. 14.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $129.00 price objective on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Citigroup boosted their price objective 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $133.50.

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.