GSA Capital Partners LLP Makes New $677,000 Investment in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,836 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $677,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. Steph & Co. boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 787 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,975 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $252,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. increased its stake in American Financial Group by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 8,307 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,061,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 3.0% during the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 3,061 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $391,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 4,546 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $621,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Mark A. Weiss sold 2,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.76, for a total transaction of $407,209.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 6,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,364.48. The trade was a 29.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 2,247 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.00, for a total value of $312,333.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 13,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,825,765. This trade represents a 14.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 16,430 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,061 over the last three months. Company insiders own 16.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

American Financial Group Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $143.41 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $140.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $134.25. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.09 and a 1-year high of $150.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market cap of $11.89 billion, a PE ratio of 12.54 and a beta of 0.62.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The insurance provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.50. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.35% and a net margin of 11.51%.The firm had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.14 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

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

American Financial Group Profile

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.