Vise Technologies Inc. Invests $221,000 in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,749 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 4,760.7% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 46,468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $5,865,000 after acquiring an additional 45,512 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 13.2% during the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 257,725 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,527,000 after purchasing an additional 30,050 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 16.7% in the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 64,591 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,152,000 after purchasing an additional 9,263 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,544,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In related news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,777 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.51, for a total value of $253,240.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 11,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,610,363. This trade represents a 13.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Stephen Craig Lindner, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.31, for a total value of $1,343,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 326,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,883,106.30. The trade was a 2.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 17.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on American Financial Group from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Financial Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $135.00.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE AFG opened at $138.91 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $139.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $131.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market cap of $11.59 billion, a PE ratio of 15.26 and a beta of 0.78. American Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $114.73 and a twelve month high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.02 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 9.21% and a return on equity of 17.41%. American Financial Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.31 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.97%.

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.