SG Americas Securities LLC Acquires 22,491 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 119.6% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 41,297 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,491 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $5,274,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 904.8% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 211 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its position in American Financial Group by 87.7% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 259 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in American Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 86.1% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 376 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Financial Group Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE AFG opened at $138.86 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.48. The company has a market capitalization of $11.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.20 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $132.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.87. American Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $122.11 and a one year high of $150.02.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.54 by ($0.07). American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 19.50%. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 11.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 24th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 15th were paid a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 33.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on AFG shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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. Piper Sandler increased their price objective 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on American Financial Group from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $145.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.