Values First Advisors Inc. Lowers Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Values First Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 6.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,925 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,025 shares during the quarter. Values First Advisors Inc.’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,836,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 170,743 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $20,300,000 after buying an additional 12,392 shares in the last quarter. Crestline Management LP purchased a new position in American Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,972,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 13.3% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 37,701 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,145,000 after acquiring an additional 4,420 shares during the period. Hengehold Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 40.0% in the first quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC now owns 25,532 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,485,000 after acquiring an additional 7,295 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC grew its stake in American Financial Group by 360.7% during the 1st quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 27,155 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,706,000 after purchasing an additional 21,261 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on AFG shares. Citigroup cut shares of American Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $144.00 to $137.00 in a report on Friday, June 28th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on American Financial Group from $129.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Financial Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $131.75.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of American Financial Group stock traded up $1.00 during trading on Friday, reaching $129.12. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 147,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 303,097. The firm has a market cap of $10.83 billion, a PE ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $125.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $127.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. American Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $105.22 and a fifty-two week high of $137.71.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The insurance provider reported $2.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.72 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 11.06% and a return on equity of 21.16%. The business’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.38 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.93 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 15th were issued a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 15th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 27.18%.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other news, Director Amy Y. Murray acquired 1,200 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 28th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $125.17 per share, for a total transaction of $150,204.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,200 shares in the company, valued at $150,204. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Profile

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.