Boston Trust Walden Corp Grows Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 11.9% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 525,691 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 56,046 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $67,136,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AFG. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 11.1% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 75,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $9,905,000 after acquiring an additional 7,554 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the first quarter valued at about $2,330,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 145.8% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,278 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 144.8% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 793 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $100,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 62.4% in the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 2,941 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $371,000 after purchasing an additional 1,130 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $143.00 on Friday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.11 and a twelve month high of $150.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market capitalization of $11.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.59 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $133.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $132.04.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.54 by ($0.07). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 19.50% and a net margin of 10.76%.The business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 11.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 24th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.46%.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 2,247 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.00, for a total value of $312,333.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 13,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,825,765. The trade was a 14.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider David Lawrence Thompson, Jr. sold 11,370 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.05, for a total value of $1,535,518.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 584,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $78,882,434.90. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 16.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on AFG. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $155.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $145.00.

American Financial Group Company 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.