American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV trimmed its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 87.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,882 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 13,627 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $240,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Steph & Co. grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in American Financial Group by 4.4% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 1.0% in the first 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 during the period. JB Capital LLC raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. JB Capital LLC now owns 4,268 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $583,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in American Financial Group by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 4,546 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $621,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Financial Group Price Performance

AFG stock opened at $143.51 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $11.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.64 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.48. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.11 and a 1 year high of $150.02. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $136.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $132.52.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released 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). The company had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 19.50% and a net margin of 10.76%.The business’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 11.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were given a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 33.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 2,247 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.00, for a total transaction of $312,333.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 13,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,825,765. This trade represents a 14.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider David Lawrence Thompson, Jr. sold 11,370 shares of American Financial Group 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 sale, the insider directly owned 584,098 shares in the company, valued at $78,882,434.90. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 16.90% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group 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.