American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) CFO Sells $135,726.50 in Stock

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) CFO Brian Hertzman sold 950 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.87, for a total value of $135,726.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,123 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,589,143.01. This represents a 7.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of AFG stock traded up $0.30 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $142.72. 213,706 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 529,779. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.09 and a 52 week high of $150.02. The stock has a market cap of $11.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.48 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.49 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $142.60 and its 200-day moving average is $135.14.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The insurance provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $2.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.85 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.35% and a net margin of 11.51%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.14 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 12.13 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were given a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 15th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AFG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $158.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen raised American Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on American Financial Group from $148.00 to $153.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $156.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in American Financial Group by 13,419.0% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 10,769,223 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,507,045,000 after buying an additional 10,689,563 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in American Financial Group in the second quarter valued at about $1,079,329,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,567,721 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $350,956,000 after acquiring an additional 57,246 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,732,557 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $236,645,000 after acquiring an additional 29,731 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 19.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,506,510 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $192,395,000 after purchasing an additional 240,509 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.37% 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.