Gregory G. Joseph Buys 3,000 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Stock

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

American Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE AFG opened at $122.50 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.97 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The company has a market capitalization of $10.28 billion, a PE ratio of 11.59 and a beta of 0.83. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $132.13 and its 200-day moving average is $134.58.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 14th were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 14th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 30.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on AFG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $144.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Financial Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. Norges Bank acquired a new position in American Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $122,419,000. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 89.5% during the fourth quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 672,851 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $92,134,000 after buying an additional 317,859 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 35.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 802,069 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $109,827,000 after buying an additional 211,630 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 26.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 997,340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $136,566,000 after buying an additional 207,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 3.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,516,351 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $742,501,000 after buying an additional 202,522 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.