Forefront Analytics LLC Invests $1.28 Million in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Forefront Analytics LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 10,118 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,277,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 144.3% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 215 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $55,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 86.7% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 422 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $68,000. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In other news, Director Stephen Craig Lindner, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.31, for a total transaction of $1,343,100.00. Following the sale, the director owned 326,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,883,106.30. This trade represents a 2.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AFG. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on American Financial Group from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen raised American Financial Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on American Financial Group from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, American Financial Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $136.75.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

AFG opened at $137.26 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.08 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $137.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $129.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $114.73 and a 12-month high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.77 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 9.21%.The company’s revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.56 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 15th will be issued a $0.88 dividend. This is an increase from American Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 15th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 35.16%.

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.