American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Shares Sold by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System cut its holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 6.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 84,410 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 6,032 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.10% of American Financial Group worth $10,036,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AFG. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 132.5% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 272 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp acquired a new position in American Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 44.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 323 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $52,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFG has been the subject of several research reports. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $135.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $129.00 price objective on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $133.50.

American Financial Group Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of American Financial Group stock opened at $129.27 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $128.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. American Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $105.22 and a twelve month high of $137.71. The stock has a market cap of $10.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.86 and a beta of 0.79.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The insurance provider reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.03. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.89% and a return on equity of 22.14%. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.99 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 11.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 25th. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,067 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.95, for a total transaction of $135,455.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,343,511.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, VP Mark A. Weiss sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.06, for a total value of $317,650.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 7,553 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,684.18. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,067 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.95, for a total transaction of $135,455.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,583 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,511.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 14,843 shares of company stock valued at $1,854,746. Company insiders own 14.60% of the company’s stock.

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.