iSAM Funds UK Ltd Invests $2.16 Million in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 14,836 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,162,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in American Financial Group by 3.2% during the second quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,640 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 11.5% in the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 884 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $129,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 12.1% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 863 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $125,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Intrust Bank NA grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 3.6% during the third quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 2,935 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $428,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,405 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,087,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on AFG. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $141.25.

American Financial Group Stock Down 0.1%

American Financial Group stock opened at $128.12 on Friday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $114.73 and a twelve month high of $150.02. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $130.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $135.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.69.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 18.64% and a net margin of 10.30%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.12 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Monday, February 16th were given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.96%.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,663 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.70, for a total value of $222,343.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,614,160.10. The trade was a 12.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

About American Financial Group

American Financial Group, Inc (NYSE: AFG) is a diversified holding company primarily engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. Through its flagship subsidiary, Great American Insurance Company, the firm underwrites a broad range of specialty insurance products for commercial and industrial clients, including inland marine, excess and surplus lines, executive liability, and environmental liability coverage. In addition, American Financial Group offers supplemental accident and health insurance and assumes reinsurance risks from other insurers, helping to diversify its underwriting portfolio.

The company traces its roots to 1946, when it was founded by Carl Lindner, Sr.