Russell Investments Group Ltd. Buys 12,788 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 19.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 78,676 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 12,788 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.09% of American Financial Group worth $9,361,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AFG. FMR LLC grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 16.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,710,065 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $525,973,000 after purchasing an additional 654,442 shares during the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 447.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 259,491 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $28,977,000 after acquiring an additional 212,057 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in 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 worth $11,491,000 after acquiring an additional 91,577 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in American Financial Group by 1.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,288,375 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $925,563,000 after acquiring an additional 81,293 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in American Financial Group by 7.2% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 838,468 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $93,632,000 after acquiring an additional 56,267 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup boosted their price objective on American Financial Group from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on American Financial Group from $129.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $135.00.

Insider Activity

In other American Financial Group news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,067 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.95, for a total transaction of $135,455.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,583 shares in the company, valued at $1,343,511.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other American Financial Group news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total value of $626,296.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,372 shares in the company, valued at $5,490,012. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,067 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.95, for a total transaction of $135,455.65. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,583 shares in the company, valued at $1,343,511.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,843 shares of company stock worth $1,854,746. 14.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AFG traded down $0.88 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $129.18. The company had a trading volume of 326,590 shares, compared to its average volume of 331,902. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $105.22 and a 12 month high of $137.71. The firm has a market cap of $10.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 0.79. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $130.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.52. 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 Thursday, May 2nd. The insurance provider reported $2.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.70 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.89 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 21.56% and a net margin of 11.03%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.89 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th were issued a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 12th. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.18%.

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.