American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Director Gregory G. Joseph Acquires 3,000 Shares

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE AFG opened at $120.30 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $132.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $134.62. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.97 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The firm has a market cap of $10.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.38 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its quarterly 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 return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. On average, equities analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 14th were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 14th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.66%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Financial Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 86.8% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Natixis purchased a new position in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 91.2% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth about $73,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% 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.