American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 55.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,837 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,789 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,073,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AFG. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $620,000. CWM LLC lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 952.1% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,252 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $169,000 after buying an additional 1,133 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 9,300.0% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 5,452 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $734,000 after acquiring an additional 5,394 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $215,000. Finally, Creative Planning boosted its stake in American Financial Group by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 27,793 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,741,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of AFG stock opened at $127.22 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.97 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The company has a market cap of $10.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.04 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $136.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.93.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. On average, equities analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th were given a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 14th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 30.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th.

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.