MUFG Securities EMEA plc Takes Position in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 25,000 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,417,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 904.8% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 211 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 87.7% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 259 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 165.0% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 273 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 332.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 368 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AFG. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on American Financial Group from $155.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on American Financial Group from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded American Financial Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $145.00.

American Financial Group Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $128.36 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $10.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.20 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $131.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $132.35. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $121.75 and a 52 week high of $150.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.48.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.54 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 19.50%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 11.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th were given a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.46%.

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.