American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) VP Mark Weiss Sells 2,813 Shares

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) VP Mark Weiss sold 2,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.76, for a total value of $407,209.88. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 6,648 shares in the company, valued at $962,364.48. This represents a 29.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

American Financial Group stock opened at $145.66 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.73 and a beta of 0.62. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.09 and a 12-month high of $150.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $138.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $133.33.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The insurance provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.85 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.43% and a net margin of 11.51%.The company’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.14 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were issued a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 30.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on American Financial Group from $140.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $158.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $150.75.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Steph & Co. lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 787 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 4.4% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,975 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $252,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 8,307 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,061,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 3.0% in the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 3,061 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $391,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in American Financial Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 4,546 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $621,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About American Financial Group

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.