IFM Investors Pty Ltd Has $1.76 Million Stock Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd reduced its holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,051 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 511 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,757,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Argent Capital Management LLC increased its position in American Financial Group by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 28,575 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,846,000 after acquiring an additional 676 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the third quarter worth $243,000. Vest Financial LLC increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 25.7% during the third quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 10,953 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,474,000 after buying an additional 2,242 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 228.2% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $175,000 after buying an additional 988 shares during the period. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the third quarter worth $311,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th.

American Financial Group Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $129.41 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $10.85 billion, a PE ratio of 12.38 and a beta of 0.78. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $106.62 and a 12-month high of $138.81. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $134.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $129.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The insurance provider reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.45 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.72 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 11.06% and a return on equity of 21.16%. American Financial Group’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.38 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 15th were paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 15th. This is a positive change from American Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.47%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.62%.

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.