Van ECK Associates Corp Increases Stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 12,040 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,649,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AFG. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 5,798 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $794,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 2,165 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $291,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,226 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC lifted its position in American Financial Group by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $239,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in American Financial Group by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 3,400 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $458,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

AFG stock opened at $119.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market cap of $10.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.33 and a beta of 0.83. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.52. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.97 and a 52 week high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. Research analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th were given a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 14th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 30.27%.

American Financial Group Company Profile

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.