Machina Capital S.A.S. Buys 3,284 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Machina Capital S.A.S. raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 20.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,155 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,284 shares during the quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $2,620,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the second quarter valued at about $1,079,329,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the second quarter valued at about $102,590,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in American Financial Group during the second quarter worth about $53,939,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in American Financial Group by 337.1% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 431,144 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $55,061,000 after buying an additional 332,517 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in American Financial Group by 433.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 316,974 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $40,481,000 after buying an additional 257,522 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Financial Group news, CFO Brian Hertzman sold 950 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.87, for a total transaction of $135,726.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 11,123 shares in the company, valued at $1,589,143.01. This trade represents a 7.87% 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. 16.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer set a $150.00 price target on American Financial Group in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on American Financial Group from $166.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 5th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on American Financial Group from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut American Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $159.00.

American Financial Group Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of AFG stock opened at $161.19 on Thursday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.09 and a 52-week high of $161.31. The stock has a market cap of $13.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.15 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.52. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $145.90 and a 200-day moving average of $137.46.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The insurance provider reported $3.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.80 by $0.17. American Financial Group had a net margin of 11.96% and a return on equity of 22.56%. The business had revenue of $2.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 12.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 25th. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a $3.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 31.65%.

American Financial Group Profile

American Financial Group, Inc. is an insurance holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Through Great American Insurance Group, it provides property and casualty insurance, with a focus on specialty commercial markets and coverage tailored to specific industries and customer needs. Its products include insurance for businesses, farms and agricultural operations, and individuals, offered through a network of independent agents and brokers. AFG’s insurance operations serve customers primarily in the United States, with some products and services available internationally.