American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Short Interest Up 16.7% in February

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) saw a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 1,260,000 shares, an increase of 16.7% from the February 13th total of 1,080,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 420,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.0 days. Approximately 1.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

American Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE:AFG traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $125.16. The stock had a trading volume of 7,528 shares, compared to its average volume of 318,176. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53. American Financial Group has a 52 week low of $118.97 and a 52 week high of $150.19. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $128.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $134.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.51 billion, a PE ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 0.79.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Financial Group will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $2.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $164.00 to $144.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 14.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Financial Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,383 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $874,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $580,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $20,675,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,569,000. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $310,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About American Financial Group

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.